Echoes in Eternity
by Useful76
Summary: When a galaxy is on the brink, one hero isn't always enough. History's greatest hero joins up with Earth's best hope. Join Naruto and Shepard as they fight against all odds to take down the biggest threat the galaxy has ever seen. "What we do in life, echoes in eternity." (NO YAOI, MaleShep, Many pairings throughout the story)
1. In the Garden of Eden

So I figured it was time for a new story. I've been plugging away at FTSA for like 5 years on and off. I recently had a spurt of inspiration to rewrite 7 chapters but it's left me again. So now I'm doing something fun on what I'm obsessed with lately; Mass Effect. I've been in love with this game since I first played it 2007. Since then, I've beaten ME1 like 20 times, ME2 about 8 or 9 and ME3 at least 5 so far. I recently got over the ending hatred (took me a year) and bought all the DLC including Omega and Citadel. Well worth it for any fan of the series. There were always some things I wanted to tweak about the story though and adding Naruto into the ME universe could be fun. There are a few good ones out there right now like EroSlackerMicha's "Leaf Amongst the Stars" and NeonZangetsu has a couple good ones started. However, none that I saw have done it the way I wanted to. So here we are.

Disclaimer: I'm only doing once... every chapter. I don't own Naruto or Mass Effect (God damned EA bastards).

* * *

In the Garden of Eden

Eden Prime was home to over three million beings looking to make a simple life out in the traverse. The planet is primarily a farming community. Its ideal atmospheric conditions are conducive to strong crop growth for human and human-like beings throughout Alliance space. The citizens of Eden Prime preferred the calm and peaceful planet as a respite from the hectic, space-faring lifestyle some crave.

There are notable archaeological sites on Eden Prime as well. Since humanity only gained the notice of Citadel Space in 2157, many had been left untouched for decades before gaining the attention of the galactic community. To this day, archaeologists and scientists from many different species have visited Eden Prime in the hopes of finding some great discovery that can change the universe and of course make them famous.

In the most recent of these digs sits a blonde haired man that looks no older than 25 years of age. The unkempt mesh of yellow strands wafts back and forth in the wind as he oversees the dozen or so workers that agreed to accompany him on this project. Sighing not for the first time, he runs his hand through the golden locks contemplating his situation.

'_What am I doing here again? Oh right, because some half wit at Conatix thinks they might have info on an ancient artifact that could improve business.' _The blonde thought to himself.

'_I swear I'd burn that corporation to the ground if it didn't bring too much heat down on me. Still, even an evil company can provide a chance at a huge find.'_

He walked back up to the ground level of the dig site to go over their findings. So far nothing promising but something was here.

'_I can definitely feel its presence. It feels like the other artifacts I've found so far. There's something big down there.'_

The blonde took a drink from his canteen and rubbed his forehead of any sweat that had formed. His tank top had all but soaked through in the summer heat but his slacks kept him cool. A custom made job he had a friend acquire for him.

'_Kasumi does enjoy a challenge. Why not steal the pants from a sultan? Best bet I ever lost.'_

While enjoying his brief break, the Alliance soldier assigned to his dig walked up to greet him.

"Gunny, what a pleasant surprise. You're looking pretty in pink today." He greeted the female soldier.

Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 2nd Frontier Division stood before him in her white and pink armor. The standard issue Avenger assault rifle was strapped to her back along with an M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle. She had a pretty face even for a civilian let alone a soldier. Her body was distinctly feminine despite her tomboy-ish demeanor. At the moment though she didn't seem too pleased.

"Uzumaki, you're as charming as ever. How soon until you're gone again?" She responded.

"My dear Ashley, is that anyway to greet a friend?"

"Since I've only known you a week and that entire week has been spent babysitting you while you play in your sandbox all while putting up with your cheesy one liners, I don't think we're at the friends stage yet."

"How about we work on that over breakfast? Meet me at my place around seven tonight."

"Ha! I'll give it to you Naruto, you are a persistent bastard." Williams replied with a smirk.

"It keeps people on their toes." Naruto responded with a grin of his own.

With their banter finished, Chief Williams got down to business.

"So find any dinosaur bones out here or something?"

"Dinosaurs were indigenous to Earth as I'm sure you're already aware my breathtakingly, beautiful bodyguard. No I have my sights set on something a bit bigger in the grand scale of the cosmos."

"Uh huh. So far all I've seen you pull out of here is dirt and rocks. Even all the past digs this year have at least uncovered some bones even if they have no idea what species they were."

Naruto ushered her closer with his finger. "Can you keep a secret?"

"Sure." Ashley responded knowing full well that she would report anything to her superiors as was her duty to the Alliance.

"Of course you can't but I'll tell you anyway. See the company I was hired by seems to think there is an artifact here that could give them a boost to their net profit. They don't mention how they gained this information or have any clue on how it would benefit them but they were willing to pay my exorbitant sum to come out here and look." He began.

"Wait, why are you so expensive? You don't seem all that impressive so far and aren't you a little young to be demanding large fees?" Ashley cut him off.

"Appearances can be deceiving my dear Ash. Now as I was saying, these fat cats saw a carrot dangled in front of them and then paid me to do what I was going to do anyway. I basically just got them to fund my own personal dig. But that is beside the point. The real point is I believe that there is a major find lying beneath this hallowed ground."

"Why do you feel this is hallowed ground?" She cut in again.

"It is because I feel that I _know_ this is hallowed ground. The air is saturated with the echoes of the past. The plants and trees whisper of the beings that once inhabited this planet before us. The very soil screams at me that something cataclysmic happened here a very long time ago." Naruto passionately spoke.

"Come on. You can't speak with nature any more than I can speak to my gun."

'_If only you knew, Ash. If only you knew.' _He thought to himself. "Call it archaeologist's intuition then. I've got a sixth sense for these things. I can feel something big down here."

"Ok, so how big?"

"Try Prothean big."

Ashley was astounded at what she just heard. "D-did you just say Prothean? As in Mars Ruins, the reason we found the Mass Relays, Prothean?"

"The one in the same. I'm sure you'll have to inform your Alliance command which was bound to happen eventually but I just wanted to be the one to give that shocked look on your face. You're stunning when out of your comfort zone."

Williams regained her composure immediately and responded heatedly. "How the hell would you even know that? Like I said, we've known each other for a week."

"You'd be surprised what you can find out about a person in such a short amount of time." Naruto clapped his hands dismissively before she could retort. "Anyway, about that artifact. I definitely know its Prothean. All my research leading up to choosing this site has led me to believe it is so. Prothean artifacts are kind of my specialty. I'm the leading archaeological mind on the subject amongst humans. One of the top people in the galaxy in fact. I'm surprised you haven't heard of my greatness by now." He then added quietly, "Need to work on the publicity angle."

Ashley mumbled "And the humility angle."

"Humility is overrated and doesn't get you paid. How else would I get these digs continuously funded?"

An explosion suddenly burst up from the site in a large plume of dirt and dust.

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed. "Now we're getting somewhere."

He made his way back down to his workers. In a chamber below, they were crowded around a large, black object. Naruto quickly made his way over to it. He walked up and touched his hand on the surface. He was waiting for something to happen but nothing did.

'_Damn, must be dormant. Oh well, still worth the months of research.'_

"This, people, is what we came for. A real Prothean Artifact. This is the kind of discovery that will get your names in the history books. Be proud of the work you've done here."

All the workers cheered and began to celebrate.

Naruto made his way back over to Ashley. "Nice speech. Tears are welling in my eyes. Of course maybe that's just your smell."

"So feisty. I likes it." Naruto winked at her. "Anyway, they'll probably all be cursing me later when they realize they have to drag it out of here. Unless of course you can get some of your meathead friends to do some lifting for me."

"Fat chance, blondie. Though I do have to report this for sure now. The Alliance will be salivating for this find."

"That's just as well. I didn't feel like handing it over to those bastards at Conatix anyway. Have them make up some law to seize it before Conatix sics their lawyers on you." He nonchalantly replied.

"Wait, you're selling your employer out?"

"Like I said, I used them for the initial info and to fund my dig. I found what I wanted and it's better off with the Alliance than Conatix. Keeps my hands clean too if the Alliance just swoops in and takes it. Besides, they'd just try to find a way to do something completely unethical to advance their bottom line with it. At least with the Alliance there's a chance it will go towards the betterment of humanity. Slim chance but some is better than none."

"Fine, I'll call it in. Don't do anything stupid till I get back." She head off towards the communications array to report the find.

Naruto watched her walk away admiring the way her armor hugged every curve. "Stupid is my middle name, Ash."

* * *

Orbiting high above Earth is the SSV Normandy SR-1, a highly classified and experimental stealth space craft jointly constructed by both the Alliance and Turian Hierarchy with permission from the Citadel Council. While Normandy has had a few dry runs, she has yet to see any real action that could test her abilities. Today was the day she would get her first official shakedown.

Staring down at Earth from one of the viewports is John Shepard, one of the Alliance's most decorated veterans. He's spent most of his life in space with both his parents being part of the Alliance Navy. Shepard has had many highlights in his decorated career but his victory at Torfan against Batarian raiders solidified him as the go to man in the Alliance to get the job done.

Many labeled him ruthless for pushing his unit that hard but those people have never met the man. If they had, they'd realize that his men would gladly die for him if he gave the order. His charisma and charming nature are grounded by his steadfast loyalty to his teammates and crew. He would never ask anyone of his subordinates to do something he would not. He fights on the front lines with his soldiers following in his steps. Every decision he makes he doesn't choose lightly. He knows the consequences of making mistakes but he doesn't let it bother him either.

_'What's done is done. You have to live in the here and now or the past will crush you.'_

Shepard turned to head towards the cockpit once he recognized they were under way. The Normandy swiftly moved through the Sol System and was ready to make the jump to the Exodus Cluster. The pilot, Joker, could be heard over the comm providing status updates.

"The Arcturus Prime Relay is in range, initiating transmission sequence."

Shepard continued his walk passing by many of the helmsman and crew who nodded as he passed. They understood that their commander wasn't a hardass for saluting as long as the respect was there.

"Board is green. Approach run has begun."

Shepard arrived at his destination to see Joker and Kaiden beginning the mass jump. Standing behind them was the Citadel Spectre Nihlus. Shepard had read up on the career files for the turian. It was an impressive resume similar to his own. Nihlus also did whatever it took to get the job done. Shepard hadn't gotten the chance to have any conversations with him yet but he felt Nihlus would be alright in his book based on what he knew.

With a bright flash of light, the jump was made successfully and the Normandy arrived without incident in the Exodus Cluster. Their destination was Eden Prime. He still hadn't received the official orders of this mission but there was no way this was just a test run with a Citadel Spectre on board.

Shepard tuned back in as Joker completed his systems check.

"...drift just under 1500km."

"Good, your captain will be pleased." Nihlus commented before heading off towards the ready room.

Once he was out of earshot, Joker chimed in. "I hate that guy."

"He complimented you sooo... you hate him?" Kaiden offered.

"You remember to zip up your jumpsuit on the way out of the bathroom, THAT'S good. I just jumped us halfway across the galaxy and hit a target the size of a pinhead. So THAT'S incredible."

"Exodus is technically right down the road in relation to the galaxy you know, Joker." Shepard chose to deflate his pilot's ego good naturedly.

"Right let's get all technical about it and pretend I didn't just do something incredibly awesome. Besides, Spectres are bad news. Just got a bad feeling having him on board. Call me paranoid."

"They don't send Spectres on shakedown runs, that's for sure." Shepard agreed.

"I knew it! What's the word then, Commander? What kind of shit are we in?" Joker excitedly replied.

"Calm down, Joker. I know as much as you at this point but I'm sure I'll find out soon enough."

Just then, Captain Anderson chimed in over the comm. "Joker. Status Report."

"Just cleared the Mass Relay, Captain. Stealth systems engaged. Everything looks solid."

"Good. Patch us into the nearest comm buoy. I want Alliance brass fully updated before we reach Eden Prime."

"Aye, aye, Captain. Better brace yourself, sir. I think Nihlus is on his way."

"He's already here, Lieutenant. Tell Commander Shepard to meet me in the comm room for a debriefing."

Joker winced.

Kaiden gave him a knowing stare.

Shepard chuckled. "Smooth, Joker. Real smooth."

"Is it me or does the captain always sound a little pissed off?"

"Only when he's talking to you, Joker." Kaiden answered.

* * *

Naruto observed the now confirmed Prothean Beacon as it was placed at the top of the dig site. Other Prothean artifacts he's found have emitted some kind of mental information transfer to those that come in contact with it or if it deems that being important enough. So far this one didn't even appear to be _turned on_ for lack of a better term.

_'Not like there's a manual around here either.'_

"Alliance brass is making a huge deal about this." Ashley said excitedly from her spot next to Naruto. "They're sending one of their best squads to come and pick it up."

Naruto chuckled. "I figured they might. It's a shame that it doesn't seem to be working though."

Ashley seemed confused. "Working? It's what, 50,000 years old? I'm amazed it's intact."

"Prothean artifacts have held up incredibly well. Almost all the ones I've found have been more than intact. They usually are able to provide information though. That's why they are so valued. A technologically advanced race such as the Protheans were able to build the mass relays and the Citadel. Imagine what else they could have hidden in their history."

"You really love this history stuff, don't you?"

"You could say I am a product of history, a living artifact myself." Naruto laughed to himself.

"Ok, you missed me with that one. What do you mean?" Ashley was understandably baffled.

"A story for another time. Preferably with drinks and some mood lighting, maybe a little soft jazz."

"Never mind. Forget I asked." Ashley immediately recoiled from his overt advances.

Unperturbed, Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Your loss then. So when will this hot shot team arrive?"

"They should be here in a couple hours. We'll need to get the beacon loaded up and ready to..."

An explosion rocked the main complex in the distance. The soldiers and workers alike were alarmed. They could see gunfire and some units dropping near their position. Naruto pushed out his senses to see what was going on. He tried to find out who was attacking them.

_'Come on, something, something, anything. Nothing? Shit! Geth!'_

"Everyone get to shelter now!" Naruto yelled with authority.

Ashley recovered from her initial shock. "You heard the man. Get your asses moving. Jones, get on that ridge and see where the enemy is. Davis, Rockwell, cover the workers back to the shelters."

"Ash, we need to get out of here. It's Geth." Naruto exclaimed.

"Geth! How the hell can you tell that?"

"I've seen them before. They won't hold back or take prisoners. If they want the beacon, we can't defend it with this small a unit. We'll have to regroup and wait for this Alliance team to come in."

"Regroup? You're going to the shelter with the rest of the civvies. Get out of here, Uzumaki. There's nothing you can do here."

"I've been around my share of firefights." Naruto stated as he pulled out an M-11 Suppressor pistol.

"Do you even know how to use that thing?" She asked incredulously.

Just then, a dozen Geth troopers stormed over the ridge and took out several members of Ashley's squad as well as a few of the workers. Ashley and Naruto returned fire taking down the entire enemy unit. Naruto tagged six himself.

"See. Right between the... umm... light bulb."

Ashley was impressed. "Alright. Cover your workers then and get any civilians to safety that you can see."

"How about a kiss for good luck?"

"How bout I kick you in the nuts?"

Despite the situation, Naruto smiled. "Don't get dead, Ash. You still owe me a date." He turned and took off towards his remaining workers.

Ashley sharply turned and yelled after him. "I never agreed to anything!"

While running away, Naruto yelled back. "Pick you up at 7!"

_'Idiot. He's going to get himself killed.'_

Before he was out of range though, a horrible sound blasted over the landscape. An enormous ship descended from the heavens. Naruto stopped dead in his tracks. All playful demeanor had left his face. He could feel the presence of something... evil. He looked up at the ship and could feel something he hadn't felt in centuries. Fear.

_'Oh shit.'_

* * *

Shepard headed back towards the Comm room for the debriefing. When he arrived, he found only Nihlus there.

"Ah Shepard, I was hoping you'd arrive first. Gives us a chance to talk." Nihlus began.

"Me too. I've read up on your background. You have an impressive resume." Shepard offered.

"As do you. I was surprised to see some of your mission results. I see why you are so highly regarded amongst your peers."

"Well now that we're done jerking each other off, how bout we get down to business."

If Nihlus was offended, he didn't show it. "How very blunt, but also true. This planet we're going to, Eden Prime, I'm interested in what you think of it."

"Wouldn't know. I've never been. I've heard it's a paradise though."

"Yes, serene and safe. A symbol for humanity's ability to explore and maintain colonies in the traverse. I wonder, how safe do you think it is though?"

Shepard didn't understand where Nihlus was going with this. "Not my place to speculate. They send me in when they need something done. If that's doing gardening or killing a few hundred Batarians, so be it."

"Any dirty job that comes along eh?" Nihlus added.

"Some might say that. So where's the Captain? I figured he'd be here already."

Just then, Captain Anderson entered the briefing room. "Sorry for the delay. I think it's about time we got you up to speed on what we're doing here."

"I figured we weren't on a routine fly by." Shepard answered.

"No, this mission is far more than a simple test run." Nihlus responded.

"We're making a covert pickup on Eden Prime. That's why we needed the stealth systems." Anderson began.

"So what's the mission? I'm sure it's all need to know. Just tell me what I have to do."

"Quite right. This one comes down from the top. A research team on Eden Prime dug up some kind of beacon. It was Prothean. I don't need to tell you how important this is."

Shepard was impressed. He knew it was something big but this was extraordinary. "No kidding. All our current space tech is based off of Prothean technology. This is huge. I get why Nihlus is here now."

"Exactly. We need to get this back to the Citadel for research and Nihlus being a Spectre is here to oversee that." Anderson continued.

"The beacon represents all interests in Citadel Space and is a major find for the galactic community. However, that's not the only reason I'm here."

Shepard seemed a little skeptical. "So what's up then?"

"Nihlus is here to evaluate you in action. He wants to see if you have what it takes to become part of the Spectres."

That caught Shepard off guard. He had never even considered service outside of the Alliance military. His whole life was spent serving on Alliance vessels and fighting for Alliance causes. If he accepted this offer, he would be free to choose his own missions but would answer to the Citadel Council instead of the Alliance. It was a lot to consider.

Captain Anderson could see Shepard's hesitance. "This is big, Commander. Spectres represent the best of the best when it comes to enforcing the Citadel's authority. For a human to be accepted would show just how far we've come."

"I'm honored but why me? There's got to be others that are more qualified. Hell, your resume alone, Captain, makes me look like a seaman on his first tour."

"My time has passed, Shepard. You're the best humanity has to offer and there would be no one better to represent us as the first human Spectre."

Nihlus then chimed in. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves though. This will be the first of many missions together. I'll be evaluating your skills and reporting back my findings to the council. I'm looking forward to working with you."

"I can't stress enough how important this is for humanity, Shepard. Make sure you secure the beacon and get it on board as soon as possible." Anderson finished.

"Just give the word, Captain."

"We should be getting close to the..."

Just then, Joker cut in with an urgent message. "Captain! We got a problem."

"Let's hear it, Joker."

"Transmission from Eden Prime sir. You better see this."

"On screen."

The vid showed a tremendous fire fight on the surface of Eden Prime. A squad of Alliance troops were pinned down with an unseen enemy pouring shots down on their position. A young woman in pink and white armor grabbed the radio man and threw him into cover where he began his report.

_"We're under attack taking heavy casualties, I repeat heavy casualties!"_

The view then pans over to a massive dreadnought. Its shape is terrifying. It appears to be an enormous, mechanical squid reaching its tentacles out towards the ground. The psychological effect something like that would have on an enemy could be substantial. There was a persistent tone coming from the vid as well. It seemed to pierce your skull with its dreadful sound. Whether it was coming from the ship or something else was unknown but the soldiers in the vid were frozen in fear. The transmission just ends abruptly in static.

"Everything just cuts out after that, no comm traffic at all. There's nothing." Joker declared.

"Reverse and hold at 38.5." Anderson commands.

The vid rewinds back to the shot of the dreadnought descending on the colony. Nihlus, Shepard and Anderson are too deep in thought to comment for a few moments. Finally, Anderson speaks up.

"Status report."

"Seventeen minutes out, Captain. No other ships in the area." Joker responded.

"Take us in, Joker, fast and quiet. This mission just got a lot more complicated."

Nihlus spoke up. "A small strike team can get in unnoticed."

"Grab your gear and meet us in the cargo hold." Anderson ordered as Nihlus walked off. He then turned to Shepard. "Tell Alenko and Jenkins to suit up. You're going down there to get that beacon."

Shepard nodded and head out towards the elevator. "Jenkins. Kaiden. We're going down to the surface. Suit up, I'll brief you in the cargo hold."

"Alright, some action!" Jenkins shout.

Kaiden simply nodded and head down with him. Once they were all ready, Captain Anderson went over the parameters again.

"Your team's the muscle in this mission, Commander. Go in heavy and head straight for the dig site."

Corporal Jenkins spoke up. "What about survivors, sir?"

Jenkins was born on Eden Prime and grew up there. No doubt he was concerned about the residents. Captain Anderson made the mission clear though.

"Survivors are a secondary objective, Corporal. The Beacon is a top priority. Make sure your head is on straight or you'll get it blown off down there."

Jenkins bristled at the reprimand. "Yes sir."

Joker chimed in over the comm. "Approaching drop point one."

Nihlus was geared up and ready to head out.

"Nihlus, you coming with us?" Jenkins asked.

"I move faster on my own. I'll scout the area ahead." With that he jumped out of the ship several meters above ground level.

Captain Anderson offered a last bit of advice. "The mission's up to you now, Commander. We're counting on you to get it done."

"You got it, Captain."

The three man squad hopped off the Normandy and made their way towards the dig site. The colony in the distance looked devastated from explosions and gunfire.

"My god, what could have done this?" Jenkins spoke up.

"We're going to find out, Jenkins. Stay sharp."

They moved along the cliff side to a rock formation. Shepard couldn't see ahead. He signaled Jenkins to move up and scout the position. Jenkins ran up to some cover. He noticed two Geth drones at the top of the hill.

"Enemy contacts, commander!" Jenkins opened fire taking out the first two drones he saw. He moved out of cover to see. "Yea take that you bastards!"

Just then, five more drones appeared and opened fire. They shredded Jenkins' shields and tore holes through his armor. He was dead before he hit the ground. Shepard and Kaiden took cover and proceeded to take down the drones. Once they scanned the area for any more enemies, they walked over to Jenkins' body.

"Ripped right through his shields. He never stood a chance." Kaiden announced after checking for a pulse.

Shepard sighed. Just another death in the long line of casualties under his command. "Come on, we'll mourn him later. We got a job to do."

They made their way up the hill making sure to alternate between cover in case any more enemies surprised them.

Nihlus suddenly spoke up over the comm. "There's some burned out buildings here Shepard. A lot of bodies. I'm going to check it out. I'll try to catch up with you at the dig site."

"Keep us posted."

Shepard and Kaiden cleared out a few more drones and made their way closer to the dig site. Up ahead they saw the female soldier from the vid. She was evading two more drones.

Ashley dove down and fired off a couple shots taking out the drones before they could further weaken her shields. When she was clear, she saw a couple more Geth troopers doing something to a colonist. Suddenly a spike burst up through his torso impaling him several feet off the ground.

_'What the fuck!?' _Ashley thought as she scrambled back further for cover.

The troopers advanced on her position. Shepard and Kaiden moved quickly to assist her and took out the troopers with precision shots.

Ashley managed to catch her breath. "Thanks, Commander. Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams of the 212, you the one in charge here, sir?"

Shepard noticed her frantic state. "Are you wounded, Williams?"

"A few scrapes and burns. Nothing serious. The rest of my squad wasn't so lucky. We were packing the beacon up when the attack hit. Oh man, if it wasn't for Uzumaki, we'd all be dead."

"Who's Uzumaki?"

"The lead archaeologist on the dig, Naruto Uzumaki. A cocky young bastard but he's full of surprises. I thought he was just some bookworm type but when the attack hit, it was like he had some military training. He took out a lot of Geth before we could sustain any more casualties. He probably saved a good number of civilians and some of my men because of it."

"Still can't believe the Geth are here? Why leave the Perseus Veil after centuries?" Kaiden asked.

"It's gotta be the beacon."

Shepard seemed impressed by this Naruto guy. "Where is Uzumaki now? Seems like we could use all the help we can get here and he probably knows something about the beacon."

Ashley seemed genuinely concerned. "I don't know. He escorted a number of civilians to safety before we got cut off. I hope he's down by the docks but I just don't know."

"Alright, we'll keep an eye out for him but our priority is the beacon."

"Right, the dig site is just up ahead."

"Ok, fall in Chief. We're down a man and could use the fire power."

"Aye, aye sir. It's time for payback."

They moved out and headed straight for the dig site.

"The beacon is at the far end of this trench." Ashley declared

Geth Troopers were waiting in ambush for them though.

"Alenko move right. Williams, left." Shepard barked out orders.

A firefight ensued. Shepard took out two rocket drones before they could get off any shots. The three man team was able to take down the small squad of Geth quickly. Shepard slowly moved out of cover keeping his eyes peeled. When it seemed that there were no more enemies, they moved up to the dig site. The beacon was missing though.

"The beacon was right here! It must've been moved by the Geth." Ashley shouted.

"How do you know it wasn't our guys?" Kaiden asked.

"I was here. We were pinned down before we had a chance to load it up. We were just focused on surviving. If someone moved it, it had to be the Geth."

"We have to hurry then. Where do you think they could move it?" Shepard asked.

"There's a camp up ahead that leads to the docks down by the Space port. If they have a ship, it's gotta be down there."

"Alright let's move, double time." Shepard ordered.

They headed up the trail that led to the camp. Just then, Nihlus broke in with a report.

"Change of plans, Shepard. There's a space port up ahead. I'm going to check it out. I'll wait for you there."

"Will do. We think the Geth might have taken the beacon there. Keep a look out for it."

"Understood. Nihlus out."

Shepard and his team made their way up the hill. There was a choke point up ahead though.

"This is a good place for an ambush. Keep your guard up." Kaiden warned.

As they slowly crept through the camp, they saw more of the spikes with human bodies on them. These bodies looked different though. They had all sorts of electronic implants and the skin seemed to glow blue.

"What the hell did the Geth do to them?" Ashley exclaimed.

Just then, the spikes descended and the bodies sprung to life. They let out a terrifying scream and began charging the team.

"Oh god! They're still alive!" Kaiden screamed.

"Not for long. Take em down!" Shepard ordered.

The husks were relentless. They charged their position and emitted some kind of electronic pulse that disrupted the team's shields. Kaiden managed to push them back with his biotics long enough for Ashley and Shepard to blow them away.

The team took a moment to catch their breath. It was quiet. They couldn't hear anymore gunfire in the distance.

"Come on. It's too quiet. They might be moving out soon. We gotta hurry." Shepard announced.

As they continued on towards the space port, a single shot rang out and echoed over the canyon corridor.

"That wasn't a pulse rifle. Let's get down there. There might be survivors." Ashley declared.

They came to the top of the ridge and Shepard saw the ship from the vid.

"What is that, off in the distance?" Kaiden shouted.

"It's that ship. That thing is awful looking." Ashley decried.

The ship slowly began its ascent into the clouds.

"I hope we're not too late if they're already taking off. Let's move people." Shepard declared.

They arrived at the docks and found a terrible sight.

"Nihlus!"

Shepard ran to his body. He was already dead.

"The Geth didn't do this. There's a slug to the back of the head." Shepard said as he analyzed the body.

"They didn't do it." A panicked voice announced from behind the crates.

Williams and Alenko immediately trained their guns on the noise.

"Show yourself, now!" Ashley demanded.

"Don't shoot! I'm human!" The dock worker shouted. "I saw what happened. That turian was shot in the back by that other one."

"What other one? Another turian was here or was it a human?" Shepard asked.

"No no. It was a turian. The one there, your friend, he must've knew him because he let his guard down and turned his back to him. I think he called him Saren or something. They were talking and then bam right in the skull. He never saw it coming."

"Shit. Who could be helping the Geth?" Kaiden pondered.

"We'll find out but we have to keep moving. Did you see where they took the beacon?" Shepard demanded.

"I think they took it to the other platform a couple kilometers from here. You'll have to take the cargo train to get there. That's where that Saren guy went off to. Oh god, they killed everyone. And that mothership, the sound it makes is awful. It digs into your brain. The pain is excruciating."

Shepard wasn't sure what to make of the last part but didn't have time to dwell on it. "Alright, stay put. Let's go team. We have to find that beacon."

Before they left, Ashley spoke up. "Wait, one more question. Did you happen to see a blonde man running around? He was wielding a pistol and was wearing a tank top and khaki pants."

The dock worker thought for a moment. "Yea, I think I did. He was heading in that direction as well. I saw him get a number of people locked into the houses a little ways back to keep them safe. He took off after those robots after the beacon had passed. He has to be out of his mind. He didn't have armor or shields and he's going after those things? He's probably dead."

"Somehow, I doubt it." Ashley uttered.

"Alright, Williams. Let's move." Shepard commanded.

They boarded the cargo train and made their way to the other dock. Shepard checked his gun to make sure it wasn't overheating.

_'Hopefully the beacon is still there or else this is going to be a really messy debriefing.'_

* * *

Saren Arterius was one of the most decorated and reviled Spectres to ever bear the name. His methods and results were questionable beyond the moral spectrum but he always got the job done as quickly as possible. Despite this tenuous moral background though, he has always been staunchly loyal to the Citadel Council. He has never disobeyed their orders and has carried out their will for almost a quarter of a century. So for him to be leading a group of Geth into stealing a priceless Prothean artifact was very out of character.

Saren turned to one of the Geth troopers. "Set the charges. Destroy the entire colony. Leave no evidence that we were here."

He then walked over to the edge of the dock. Before him was a fully activated Prothean Beacon. He moved closer and the beacon suddenly seized his body and mind. Saren embraced the vision and allowed it to wash over him. When he was finished, he felt exhausted but clearly he was pleased as he got what he came for.

Over in a corner out of view sat a blonde haired archaeologist that watched the whole thing take place.

_'Saren's here? This just keeps getting better and better. I wonder how they activated the beacon? Maybe I should go ask him.'_

Naruto crept over and pounced on the two Geth Shock Troopers that were guarding Saren. He blew the head off of the one while slicing the other in two with his High Frequency blade. Several others attempted to stop him but Naruto moved way too fast for the Geth to keep up. After only a few seconds, a dozen or so Geth units lay in pieces along the dock. Saren decided to acknowledge his presence then.

"Uzumaki. Still toting that primitive weapon I see."

"Saren. Still hogging all the ugly I see."

"You haven't aged a bit since we last met. What was that five years? Ten?"

"12 years, 4 months, 16 days since I last tried to stop you from slaughtering innocents in your quest for vengeance."

"Is this the Artemis Tau thing again? Please. Those people were living a bleak existence anyway. I did them a favor."

Naruto calmed down because he could feel his anger growing. He had many years of practice on not letting people get under his skin but there was always a few bastards that were an exception.

"So what's your move now? You got the beacon working somehow which is impressive in its own right. Do you think I'm going to let you leave again?"

Saren chuckled. "So predictable Uzumaki. Always eager to jump in but never with a plan."

"Meh plans are overrated. Winging it has worked well for me as far back as I can remember."

"So what then will you do with the explosives I set up? There's enough to vaporize this entire colony."

"I figured the Alliance team that's on its way here will take care of that. You're not worming your way out of this fight."

Saren thought for sure Naruto would dart off to stop the bomb. "Learning from past mistakes are we?"

"More like making the bigger threat a priority. Stopping you now will stop a whole lot of people from dying later."

"Hmmm. Ruthless calculus. Perhaps you are learning."

"I've forgotten more things than you could learn in ten lifetimes. I just underestimated your character last time. It won't happen again."

Saren quirked an eyebrow at that comment. "I always wondered, how old are you really? You certainly are not a normal human. You don't look like you've aged a day since I first met you all those years ago."

"For that answer, you'd have to get me really drunk and you are definitely not my type. So are we doing this or are you going to talk me to death?"

"I'm afraid I'll have to postpone this for another time."

As soon as he said those words, four Geth Prime units dropped from the Geth ship above.

_'Son of a bitch! Damn, undetectable Geth!'_

The four Primes opened fire and forced Naruto to quickly evade. In the chaos, Saren managed to hop on to a hover platform and fly up to the ship.

"Til next time I'm afraid, Uzumaki."

_'Smug bastard hiding behind his walking monstrosities of death. Why do the bad guys always have the best toys?'_

Naruto continued to evade the Primes' overpowering fire as they turned the dock into a charred shooting gallery. With a burst of speed, he fired a shot with his pistol off of one of the shield generators located on its back. He then moved in and took out its legs with the HF blade. The Prime was disabled but still able to fire. Naruto erected a barrier to protect him momentarily from the other Primes' blasts as he dissected the head of the one he downed.

Dodging quickly to the left before his barrier fell, Naruto maneuvered behind two of the Primes. He planted a _rasengan_ in the back of the one bursting straight through, knocking it out of commission. The other had his sword impaling it until Naruto swiped it straight up through the torso and head of the unit.

The last Prime launched a plasma blast that disintegrated the area where Naruto just stood. Luckily he was no longer there. Falling from above, he brought the sword down on the unsuspecting Prime's head and sliced it clean in two.

All four units were dispatched in less than a minute or two but that was enough for Saren to get away.

_'Damn it.'_

He sealed his sword away and holstered his gun just as Shepard, Kaiden and Ashley arrived.

"Naruto! You're okay. Thank god." Ashley came running up to him.

"Glad you were worried about me, Gunny." He said with a small smile.

"Just didn't want to have another death on my conscience you idiot."

The squad looked around at the carnage. Piles of Geth units were sliced into pieces.

Shepard spoke up. "So want to tell me what happened here?"

"Are those Geth Primes? Jesus. I've only read about them but those are supposed to be walking tanks! How many were there, two?" Kaiden exclaimed.

"Actually four but that doesn't matter."

"What? You took out four Geth Primes and a dozen or so shock troopers on your own and it doesn't matter?!" Ashley shouted.

"Nope. What matters is Saren got away."

"I'm sure this is an interesting story. Hopefully you won't mind coming with us to explain it on the Normandy."

"Normandy? Hmm ironic name for a ship. Appropriate even given the circumstances." Naruto said mostly to himself. "I trust you took care of those explosives back there or this will be a really short conversation."

"All defused. At least we still got the beacon."

They all stared over at it. Shepard turned to report in. Kaiden and Ashley moved closer while Naruto still pondered Saren's escape.

"This is amazing. Real working Prothean technology." Kaiden said.

"It wasn't doing anything like this back at the dig site, right Naruto?"

"Hmm? Oh, no it wasn't. I wouldn't get too close though it might have a... Ash!"

The beacon seized Ashley and was pulling her in. Shepard acted first and threw her out of its way. In the process though, it seized Shepard's body. A burst of information invaded his brain. It was alien and intense. Images of death, destruction, shadowy enemies. It burned out his senses.

"Shepard!" Ashley made to get him out of there but Kaiden held her back.

"No it's too dangerous."

"He's right. You have to wait till the information transfer is done or it could injure both of you permanently." Naruto explained.

Suddenly the beacon exploded and Shepard collapsed to the ground unconscious.

Naruto sighed as he walked over to pick him up. "He's going to be out of it for awhile. The first time you experience a Prothean info dump, you'll be lucky you don't fry your brain."

Kaiden was busy getting the Normandy on the line. "Normandy, come in. We got a man down. The beacon has been destroyed. Possible sabotage. Shepard is down. We need evac."

Joker chimed in. "Copy that ground team. We'll be there in two minutes for pick up."

"I shouldn't have gotten close. I was so stupid. God I could have gotten everyone killed." Ashley berated herself.

"Ash, there was no way for you to know what was going to happen. If anything this is my fault for letting you walk over there. I should have warned you." Naruto offered as he rubbed her back.

"This whole mission is one big clusterfuck for sure but we're alive and hopefully the commander pulls through." Kaiden stated. "Let's just get him back to the Normandy. You're coming too, Uzumaki. We'll need to hear what went on down here."

Naruto nodded and stared up at the sky.

_'You're not going to win this time, Saren. Whatever you're up to, I'll be there to stop it.'_

* * *

In the void of space, Saren's massive flagship, Sovereign, is zooming away from the Exodus Cluster. Inside, Saren sits in his captain's chair awaiting word that the colony was destroyed. An asari gracefully walks up behind him to report. Matriarch Benezia, a well respected member of the Asari high council. Her presence aboard Saren's ship is a mystery.

"We identified the vessel that landed on Eden Prime. It was the Normandy, a Human Alliance ship under the command of Captain Anderson. They managed to save the colony." Benezia stated.

Saren wasn't as concerned about that though. "And the beacon?"

"One of the humans may have used it."

Saren seethed but did not show any other out bursts of emotion. "It's to be expected. I didn't anticipate Uzumaki being there. We must be prepared for his continued interference in our plans. He must be eliminated."

Benezia continued. "It was not Uzumaki that used the beacon. It was the Alliance Commander, John Shepard."

Saren contemplated this information. "Either way, we cannot have them ruining our plans. Make all arrangements to have them removed."

He sat down in his chair again and pondered their next move.

_'Nothing will stand in the way of my ambition, my dream.'_

* * *

Alrighty then. Hopefully this is as entertaining as it sounds in my head. For those that know me, I use a lot of pop culture references hidden within my stuff. So if anyone can tell me where the chapter title is from, I'll be impressed. Anyway, review please. No fuck that. I'm not asking, I'm telling. REVIEW, Damn it!


	2. Meet Me in Outer Space

Here we go. Chapter 2 in less than a week. I hope I can maintain this pace. Decent response for the first chapter but it predictably fell off after the first day once it was gone from the front page. Hopefully more people find it as I update.

I'm surprised no one got where the title of the first chapter came from. Well the second chapter also comes from somewhere in pop culture. Lets see if anyone knows from what. Again, I'll be impressed. Please keep trying to get the first chapter too. I'm interested if anyone knows it. Even if they have to look it up.

Once again, I don't own Naruto or Mass Effect. I could think of a clever joke to put here but, meh I'm too lazy. You probably wouldn't read it anyway.

* * *

Meet Me in Outer Space

Darkness. All around him. He was aware but he was not. Was this a dream? Did that really just happen? The more he tried to remember, the further it eluded his grasp.

Suddenly, a burst of light sliced through the black and his vision began to clear. Consciousness was returning.

"Doctor! Doctor Chakwas! I think he's waking up." Shepard could hear a feminine voice exclaim.

Slowly, Shepard sat up and took a look around to gather his bearings. He was in sick bay on the Normandy. Ashley was there and Dr. Chakwas walked around to greet him.

"You had us worried there, Shepard. How are you feeling?" The doctor asked.

"Ugh, like shit. Nothing major though. Basically the worst hangover I've ever had. How long was I out?" He said while massaging his temple.

"About 15 hours. Something happened down there with the beacon I presume." Dr. Chakwas stated.

Ashley cut in. "It's my fault. Naruto said that I triggered some kind of automatic transfer initiation when I approached it. You had to push me out of the way."

"You had no way of knowing what would happen. Don't beat yourself up over it."

"Luckily Mr. Uzumaki was there to explain some details on how the Prothean beacon may work. It has helped me better understand your brain patterns and what I've been seeing. There are some abnormal beta waves and an increase in rapid eye movement. These are signs typically associated with intense dreaming. Uzumaki stated that this was typical of the other artifacts that he has found. Something to do with the way Protheans transfer their information."

Shepard contemplated the explanation. _'Intense dreaming huh? That's putting it mildly.'_

"So what happened after the beacon grabbed me?" He asked.

"Alenko and I were able to bring you back to the ship. Naruto agreed to come along to help explain things."

"Where is he now?"

"Last I saw he was sitting in the mess hall waiting for you to wake up. Captain Anderson hasn't allowed him into the medical bay since he's not Alliance personnel." Ashley explained.

Shepard rotated his shoulder to get a kink out. "So what's the verdict, doctor? Will I live?"

"Physically you're fine. I'd still like to run some more tests on your mental capacities though. That much activity is alarming."

"I'll be fine, doctor." Shepard insisted.

"Well there's nothing else I can do to keep you then. You can… oh. Hello, Captain." Chakwas stated as Captain Anderson entered the medical bay.

"How's our Exo doing, doctor?"

"Aside from some heightened brain activity that is most likely a side effect of the beacon, all the readings look normal. I'd say he's going to be fine." Dr. Chakwas explained.

"Glad to hear it." Anderson then turned to face Shepard. "I need to speak with you… in private."

Ashley and the doctor knew protocol when they heard it. "Aye, aye Captain."

Once the two women had left the room, Anderson began to debrief Shepard.

"Sounds like that beacon did a number on you, Shepard. You sure you're alright?"

"Nothing that will keep me out of the next war. Which from the look of things might not be too far off."

"No kidding. I'm not going to lie to you, Shepard. Things look bad. Nihlus and Jenkins are dead, the beacon is destroyed and the Geth are invading. The Council's going to want answers."

"The Geth would've wiped out the whole colony if we hadn't stopped them!" Shepard was visibly frustrated.

Captain Anderson took no offense to the commander's outburst. "I know. I'll stand behind you and your report. You're a damn hero in my book."

Shepard calmed down a bit. "Thank you, sir. I didn't mean to throw all that on you."

"Come now commander. For as long as we've known each other, if you didn't speak freely I'd think something was wrong. But that's not why I'm here. It's Saren, that other turian." Anderson took a breath. "Saren's a Spectre. One of the best. A living legend. If he's working with the Geth though, that means he's gone rogue. That's bad news for humanity."

"Why's that, sir?"

"Saren hates humans. He thinks we're growing too fast, taking over the galaxy. A lot of aliens think that way but they don't do anything about it. Saren has the resources and the motivation to be a real threat. Allying with the Geth proves that."

"There's got to be more to it than that? Why go after the beacon then if he just wants to destroy humans? He could have done that easy with all the Geth he had under his command." Shepard responded.

"I'd say odds are you're right. Uzumaki said that you received a data transfer from the beacon before it exploded."

"Just before I lost consciousness, I had some kind of vision."

"Really? What did you see?"

"I saw synthetics slaughtering thousands of aliens. Some kind of bipedal species. Possibly the Protheans. It was all so jumbled. Hard to make out anything."

"Hmmm, we need to report this to the council."

Shepard was skeptical to say the least. "What am I going to tell them? I had a bad dream? That won't make us sound desperate or anything."

"We don't know what was stored in that beacon. It could contain almost anything. A weapon of mass destruction. New and advanced technology. Who knows? What I do know is that Saren has it and sought it out for some reason. That alone is enough for me to try."

"I'm sensing there's a history between you and Saren." Shepard commented.

"There is. A story for another time though. Suffice it to say, he is a deadly opponent. He thinks humans are a blight on the galaxy. Now he has the Geth backing him and whatever information that was on the beacon. This is all a declaration of war on his part."

"Uzumaki seemed to know Saren as well. From what I gathered in our brief conversation, he wasn't too fond of him either." Shepard explained.

Captain Anderson was surprised. "Really? I'll have to ask him myself then. I was holding off on talking to him until I heard your report. Looks like I should have started before that."

"Maybe we should both bring him in and talk in a private setting?"

"If we have time. Right now, we need to get to the Citadel and report this before Saren gets too far ahead of us."

"You're right. We have to inform them of Saren. We'll have to find some real evidence to convince them though. My word against his isn't going to be enough."

"We might be able to have Uzumaki give his testimony against him." Anderson pondered.

"Still just _he said he said_. We're going to need something that nails him to the wall before they listen to us. I'll find something when we get there." Shepard said with conviction.

He stood up and stretched out a bit. There was a lot of work to be done once they arrived.

* * *

Naruto was comfortably lounging with his feet up in the mess hall awaiting word when he would be needed. Many of the crew were eyeing him cautiously wondering what he was doing and why he was so nonchalant about being on an Alliance vessel.

He sighed to himself. _'I had forgotten how stodgy the military can be. Never able to relax when there's down time.'_

He had been waiting for word on how Shepard was doing. Naruto was curious how a _regular _human would react to the Prothean Data transfer and if there was any useful information that he obtained from it. Naruto had accepted a couple of data transfers in the past. They were mostly ancillary things though. Records of the Prothean Empire, day to day operations, and other mundane items like that. He had never found a beacon like this one. This seemed planted for a purpose.

_'Hopefully Shepard wakes up soon. I'm dying to know what is so valuable for Saren to risk blowing up a human colony for.'_

As he was contemplating this, he noticed Captain Anderson had walked by and entered the medical bay. He had spoken briefly with the Captain when he first came aboard. Anderson seemed dismissive of his presence at the time but Naruto took no offense to it. After a few moments the doctor and Ashley had come out to presumably give Anderson and Shepard some privacy. Naruto of course eyed up the doctor as he did all females.

_'Not bad for an old broad. She definitely keeps herself in shape.'_ He evaluated.

Ashley walked over to where he was sitting and leaned up against the wall. He could feel the relief roll off of her shoulders.

"I take it the Commander is good to go then?" He asked.

"Yea, thank god. Don't know if I could have lived with him being hurt or worse because of me."

"It was a battle, Gunny. Crazy stuff happens. Nothing to dwell on."

"I know but I just can't bear the thought of someone dying for me."

"You'll have to learn to get over that eventually, Ash. You save people and most certainly, people are going to save you. If you are willing to lay your life down for a squad member, why don't you think anyone else would be just as willing?"

"I just don't think... forget it. It's over now anyway." She clearly just wanted to drop the subject.

Naruto let it go. He could see she was dealing with some personal issues but he's learned over time that you can't force someone to face their problems. They'll do it when they're damn well ready. "So what will you do now? We seem to be moving away from Eden Prime."

Ashley welcomed the change of subject. "Captain Anderson has asked me to join the Normandy for the time being. One of their members was killed during the mission, so they have a spot to fill. I could use the change of scenery anyway. Dealing with pretty boy, know-it-all archaeologists all day gets tiring." She said with a smirk.

"Yes, well I can see how dealing with someone that awesome would be a struggle to maintain your composure constantly. What with their dashing good looks, charming personality and incredible sense of humor. You'd never get any work done with a distraction like that." He replied with a lopsided grin.

"Right." She deadpanned. "The only problem I would have is trying to protect you from enemies with that oversized head of yours making such an enticing target."

"There's just more of me to love then. Besides, I could use a few handicaps when it comes to combat."

Ashley became a little more serious when she remembered how proficient Naruto was on Eden Prime once the Geth showed up. "So, where did you learn to fight like that? I'm pretty certain _archaeologist school_ doesn't have advanced target practice as core curriculum."

Naruto was contemplating how much to reveal to her. "I've been around a few battles here and there. When you're constantly exploring random planets out in Citadel Space and the Terminus systems for priceless artifacts, you need to be able to defend yourself from any foes that might drop in on your dig. Whether they be pirates, slavers or a good old fashioned thresher maw, you always have to be on your toes out there."

Ashley didn't seem convinced. "And what if those foes are a full platoon of Geth troopers?"

"It's not the first time I've encountered them. Furthest out I've been is Hades Nexus. A lot of Prothean ruins in that cluster but it's also very close to Geth Space. They haven't stayed behind the Perseus Veil all these years. The Citadel just never noticed when they'd venture out and if there were reports, they just covered them up to not start a panic."

She seemed to drop it for now. "So then, what do _you_ plan on doing?"

Naruto wasn't exactly sure. He knew Saren needed to be stopped from whatever he had planned but he wasn't going to be able to do that on his own. "Not sure right now. I'll just play it by ear and see where I end up. Usually works out fine for me."

She seemed put off by his casual manner. "How can you be so relaxed with what just happened?"

"I've seen many things in my life, Ash. Whether or not I get worked over them doesn't change the severity of the situation. I choose to relax because I can. May not get that chance in the near future."

He leaned back in the chair and closed his eyes before she could retort. Just then, Shepard and Anderson emerged from the medical bay. Naruto peaked one eye open to notice that Shepard was coming towards him and Ashley.

Shepard noticed Naruto in a fairly relaxed position. "Comfortable?"

"Mostly. Could use a pillow or two for the lower back."

"Right, I'll get right on that." Was his sarcastic reply. Shepard then turned to Ashley. "So I see we're keeping you around for a bit, Williams."

"Yes, sir. Anderson thought it would be good to keep me on with what happened to Jenkins. I'm really sorry by the way."

"Jenkins was a good kid but a little too eager. It's a shame we faced the Geth on his first mission."

"Yea. I think we're all looking to put Eden Prime behind us." She said.

"I understand. You must've had it rough losing most of your squad. How are you holding up?"

"I've seen friends die before. Comes with the job. But to see almost my whole unit wiped out and all those civilians... let's just say things would have been a lot worse if you hadn't shown up."

Naruto chose that moment to cough.

"You ok there, blondie?" Ashley mocked.

"Yes perfectly fine. Just thought I'd be recognized for my valor is all."

"I felt I was doing the crew a favor by saving some of the oxygen from swelling your ego."

"You keep talking dirty like that and that's not the only thing that will be swelling." He said with a smirk.

Shepard couldn't help but chuckle at their banter. "So I take it you two know each other?"

"Know is such a trivial term for the relationship that Ashley and I share." Naruto began poetically.

"What!? We met like a week ago and I've been watching you play in the dirt for that time. What relationship do we have?!"

"Some things just go unsaid. There's no need for you to express your feelings openly."

Ashley was getting visibly flustered. "I'm going to go clean my gun."

"Is that what they call it now?" Naruto asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Ashley left with a frustrated scream. "I'll be in the cargo bay if you need me, Shepard."

Shepard enjoyed the scene but had to maintain some form of discipline. "Don't you think you took that a little too far, Uzumaki?"

"Meh, deep down she knows I'm messing with her. It's too much fun to see that pissed off look on her face. Walking the tight rope between wanting to kill me and wanting to jump me."

Shepard just smiled. "Just try to keep her from opening fire inside my ship."

"No promises. So, I see you're looking well rested. How do you feel?" Naruto began.

"Had a pretty bad headache at first but its dulling now."

"And what did you see if you don't mind me asking?" Naruto said trying to hide his eagerness.

"We can go over that in private some time. I understand you're an expert on the Protheans?"

"I know a lot about the Protheans, yes but I doubt anyone is truly an expert. There's just so much out there we don't know. Let me know if you want any information on them and I'll see what I can conjure up."

"Will do. In the mean time, we're heading to the Citadel to try to make the Council aware of Saren."

Naruto narrowed his eyes at the name. "Yea good luck with that. He's a slippery bastard. Unless you have a vid of him putting babies' heads on spikes, don't expect the Council to listen. Even then, they might side with Saren depending on what he was doing for them."

"You think he had Council authority for this?" Shepard raised an eyebrow inquisitively.

"I've seen what the Council gave him authority to do in the past to accomplish a mission. So I wouldn't rule it out. I'll admit this incident seems pretty random and probably has a lot to do with whatever was in that beacon. I just never trust a group of leaders that are light years away from the matter at hand to make good decisions." Naruto mentioned bitterly.

"I'll keep that in mind. I hope you wouldn't mind joining us at least until we get this figured out."

"I've got nowhere else to be right now. Whatever Saren is up to, it needs to be stopped. Plus I really want to know what you saw from that beacon. A lot of things don't make sense and that ship Saren had... something just isn't right about it."

"I had heard some of the civilians mention the ship when we were fighting to get to the beacon. What is it exactly that is bothering you?"

"I feel like I've seen information on it in the Prothean data I've received over the years but nothing that conclusively says what it is. I just know that the feeling I got from it was pure evil. It was like the ship was alive. Where does anyone find a ship that powerful just lying around let alone Saren? I just got a bad feeling about all of this."

"You could feel the ship?" Shepard seemed puzzled.

"Tell you what. You find time to tell me about what you saw and I'll let you in on some of my abilities. I have a feeling we might be working together for a bit on this one." Naruto offered.

"Fair enough. We should be reaching the Citadel shortly but I'll make sure we have some private time before making any more trips."

"I can live with that. Just so you know though, I'm not into dudes."

Shepard was unfazed. "Then we have something in common."

"Glad that was cleared up. I feel like it could have gotten awkward down the road if there was a misunderstanding."

"You're a strange guy, Uzumaki."

"You have no idea, Shepard. And please, call me Naruto."

* * *

The Normandy emerged from hyper space into the Serpent Nebula. Within this cloud of gas and dust floats the single greatest technological achievement in galactic history. The Citadel. It's an enormous space station that can hold the population of most planets. The center of galactic commerce and government, the Citadel is the focal point of everything in the Milky Way.

On their approach, the Normandy passes by the flagship of the Citadel fleet, the Destiny Ascension. An Asari vessel with more fire power than almost anything in the Alliance navy.

"Look at the size of that ship!" Ashley exclaimed.

"I'm just glad it's on our side." Kaiden remarked.

"Well size isn't everything." Joker proclaimed.

"Why so touchy, Joker?" She teased.

"I'm just saying."

"Uh huh. You're telling me you wouldn't want to be at the helm of something that incredible?" Ashley insisted.

"My baby's got all the power I need to keep me satisfied." Joker commented while patting the console. He then opened the comm. "Citadel Control, this is SSV Normandy requesting permission to land."

_"Stand by for clearance, Normandy. Clearance granted. Proceed on course." _

Shepard decided to get his landing party ready. "Alright people. This isn't shore leave. We're here on business. Alenko, Williams. Suit up and be ready in five."

Shepard went back towards the crew area to grab his gear. On his way there he saw Naruto getting ready to move out.

"Figured you'd want me along as a firsthand witness for all the good it'll do you." Naruto stated.

"We're going to need all the help we can get on this one. You ever been to the Citadel?" Shepard asked.

"Enough to know my way around. One thing you want to remember is that this isn't Earth. Not everyone is fond of humans here. Never let your guard down."

"I don't intend to. I was wondering if you had any contacts here. We may need to gather intel pretty quickly."

"Hmmm, I'll have to look a few of them up. I'll give you my comm frequency in case we decide to split up." Naruto said as he punched a few buttons on his omni-tool. "Bah, damn thing is slower than hell. I'm gonna need to find an upgrade while I'm here too. Been about three years since I got a new one."

"The way these things advance, you might as well be using one of them old slide screen phones from the 21st."

"Tell me about it. There we go. You should have it now."

Shepard checked his omni-tool. "Got it. Alright, we're going to the human embassy first with Captain Anderson. What we do from there will depend on how this meeting goes with our ambassador."

"Well if my experience with politicians is anything to go on, we're not going to get anything out of this but a lost hour or two." Naruto replied.

"Probably but we have to start somewhere."

"Lead the way then. Might as well get this over with."

With that, the shore party made their way through the Citadel to the human embassy.

* * *

The Citadel's structure is quite unique when compared to other space stations of any size. From afar, one could say it almost looks like a flower. It has five large petals called wards that hold different classes of society and a wide range of alien races and cultures. Connecting all these petals together is a ring known as the Presidium. At the center of this ring is the Citadel Tower, home to the Citadel Council and the entire government for Citadel Space.

The Presidium is the one place on the Citadel where you can find an artificial sky and lake offering a beautiful view for all its residents. On the Presidium, you can find numerous embassies from dozens of sentient species that are looking to have their opinions heard. There are also a number of stores, parlors and entertainment establishments to be found. The Presidium is home to the highest class of citizenship within Citadel Space.

"This is an outrage!"

Of course the highest class doesn't always refer to a politician's character.

"If the Geth were invading a turian colony, the Council would do something!" Ambassador Udina bellowed at the hologram within his office.

Off to the side sat Captain Anderson, Shepard, Ashley, Kaiden and Naruto. The latter looked positively bored out of his mind.

The image of the Salarian Councilor responded. "Turians don't go building colonies on the borders of the Terminus Systems, ambassador."

"Humanity was well aware of the risks when you went into the Traverse." Added the Asari Councilor.

"What about Saren? You can't just ignore a rogue Spectre! I demand action!"

"You don't get to make demands of the council, ambassador." The Turian Councilor harshly reprimanded Udina.

_'Typical political bullshit.'_ Thought Naruto.

"Citadel Security is conducting an investigation into your accusations." The Asari Councilor stated. "We will discuss the C-Sec findings at the official hearing, not before."

The hologram abruptly fades out.

"Ugh, finally. Thought they'd never shut up." Naruto spoke up as he stretched himself out.

Udina did not look pleased. "Captain Anderson. I see you brought half your crew with you."

"Just the ground crew from Eden Prime and Naruto Uzumaki who was the lead archaeologist on the Prothean Beacon dig. I thought they should come in case you had any questions." Anderson responded.

Udina coldly replied. "I have the mission reports. I assume they're accurate."

"They are. Sounds like you convinced the Council to give us an audience."

"Reluctantly yes. Saren is their top agent. They don't like him being accused of treason."

"It's not treason if he was following orders." Mumbled Naruto.

"What was that Uzumaki?" Udina demanded.

"Just saying. I've seen what Saren's _orders_ have been and how he's interpreted them in the past. This isn't the first time I've seen him kill human colonists to get what he wanted. How do we know this wasn't a play by the Council to make humanity look bad?" Naruto bitterly replied.

"So I see you've had past encounters with Saren as well. Well that's just great. Now there's even less chance the council hears our testimony with two people who have a grudge against Saren." Udina scoffed as he eyed Captain Anderson accusingly.

"Whatever. They won't listen anyway." Naruto dismissed with a wave of his hand.

"We have to try, Naruto. Saren's a threat to every human colony out there. He needs to be stopped." Shepard jumped in.

"Settle down, Commander. You've already done enough to jeopardize your candidacy for the Spectres. This mission was supposed to show you could get the job done and instead Nihlus is dead and the beacon destroyed." Udina scolded.

"That's Saren's fault! Not his!" Captain Anderson defended.

"Then we'd better hope C-Sec thinks so as well or the Council could use this as an excuse to keep Shepard out of the Spectres." Udina finished. "Come with me Captain. There's a few things we need to go over before the hearing. Shepard, meet us at the Citadel Tower at 1430 hours. The hearing will commence then.

Shepard nodded and looked down at his omni-tool. It was currently 1350 hours.

Once Udina was gone, the crew let out a sigh of relief.

"And that's why I hate politicians." Ashley stated.

"Another positive character trait my dear. A few more and I may have to keep you." Naruto teased.

Ashley was ready to retort but Shepard stopped it. "Save it for the bedroom you two. We have work to do." He then head out the door into the hallway.

Ashley looked mortified. "Wha… but… *sigh* fine."

She gave Naruto a scathing glare to which he replied with a shit-eating grin. She then stormed out of the office.

"You know, she is pretty handy with many different types of guns." Kaiden commented.

"I know, kinky right?" Naruto replied.

"I meant maybe you shouldn't piss her off."

"Where's the fun in that?"

Kaiden just shook his head. "Come on. Let's catch up to the Commander."

* * *

Naruto was waiting at the bottom of the steps to the main Council auditorium with Ashley and Kaiden. He agreed with Udina that he should remain back despite his academic standing in the galactic community simply because of his history with Saren. From the sound of things it wouldn't have mattered anyway.

_'Giant waste of time, like I thought.'_

Things were wrapping up as Shepard, Anderson and Udina made their way back down to the team.

"Well that sucked. So now what?" Shepard began.

"As a Spectre, Saren is virtually untouchable. We need to get hard evidence to prove to the Council that he was involved with this attack." Udina stated.

"What about Garrus, that C-Sec officer we met on the way in here? He seemed like he was close to getting something." Kaiden asked.

"Sounds like a good start. How do we find him?" Shepard added.

"Hmm, I have a contact in C-Sec that can help us track him down. His name is Harkin." Udina offered.

"That loser? Forget it. He's probably blown his entire paycheck by now in Chora's Den getting hammered. He was suspended last week for drinking on the job." Anderson scoffed.

Naruto shrugged his shoulders. "Intel is intel. I can check out a few people too though. Barla Von is an information broker that I use from time to time for some of my digs. He'll definitely know where to find this Garrus. He may even have something to go on as far as evidence on Saren."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Anderson said. "Besides I won't waste my time with deadbeats like Harkin in this investigation."

Udina cut in. "You won't have to. I'm cutting you out of it due to your past encounters with Saren. I don't want the Council clouding their judgment with you involved."

"Wait, you can't just cut out the Captain!" Shepard jumped to Anderson's defense.

"No he's right. I… my history with Saren is too personal. It may have cost us in there. I have full confidence in you Commander to get this resolved." Anderson was resigned to the decision. He followed Udina back to the embassy.

"Alright. Sounds like splitting up would be the best option." Shepard started.

"I call Ashley!" Naruto shouted.

"You're a brave one. You think you'll survive the walk out of here the way you've been talking to me?" Ashley said with a sinister grin.

"Since I'd rather not have property damage in the Council chambers hamper my investigation, Ashley is coming with me." Shepard stated.

"Phrasing, Shepard." Naruto of course chimed in.

Shepard just ignored Naruto at this point. "Alenko, go with Uzumaki to see Barla Von and find out what you can. Williams and I will head to Chora's Den."

With a plan of action set, they head off to their respective destinations.

* * *

Garrus Vakarian had spent many years in C-Sec. He had been in the turian military since he was 15 and grew up with a strong moral background from his father. This upbringing naturally led him into law enforcement. He thought joining C-Sec would make his father proud but there was barely an acknowledgement from the turian. Garrus dedicated his life to making a difference in his profession in the hopes of earning his father's approval but the reality of the job was far more taxing than he realized.

It only took a few months before Garrus recognized that the whole system was corrupt. The politicians and the top brass in C-Sec talked a big game but they all had their hands in the jar somewhere. Sweeping things under the rug where they could. Outright criminal activity when they could get away with it. Garrus learned that fighting crime with your hands tied behind your back was nearly impossible. He had always felt constrained by the red tape on the Citadel but never more so then he was at the moment.

_'Damn bureaucratic bastards. They're either covering up for Saren or they are just too lazy to give a shit about doing a proper investigation. How can I find any evidence when it's all classified?'_

Executor Pallin, the head of C-Sec, had ordered him to end his investigation on Saren and Eden Prime basically before it even began. He was given two days to find something to accuse the top Spectre of treason and every file on him was closed to C-Sec eyes. Still, Garrus had a solid lead. He just needed some time to investigate it.

_'Harkin said Doctor Michel has attracted the attention of Fist's hit squad after she met with a Quarian. That's bold even for Fist. It's a slim lead but it's something.' _

Garrus had spent the last hour contemplating whether or not he should just follow up on it and risk throwing away his career at C-Sec or just fall in line. His father had always been a stickler for following the rules and working within the system but that has failed him so many times in C-Sec.

_'Fuck it. If I'm going down, I'm doing what I feel will serve justice.'_

Garrus grabbed his gear. He was heading down to the med clinic in the wards to see what Dr. Michel knew.

_'Saren is not getting off without a fight.'_

* * *

Down in a dank back corner of Zakera Ward, you could find Chora's Den. It was a lowly strip club that specialized in Asari pole girls and overpriced swill. Pretty much a dive when compared to actual night clubs like the one's on Omega or even more reputable ones on the Citadel like Purgatory or the Dark Star.

The club's owner was a man named Fist. He was a local thug with his hands in as many coffers as he could manage. Despite his apparent small time status, he did manage to carve out a niche for himself as an enforcer for the Shadow Broker. If the Shadow Broker needed a non combatant eliminated on the Citadel, Fist's men could usually handle it without too many complications. People that fought back tended to cause problems thus the Shadow Broker never used Fist for those higher level targets. All around, he was just your average scumbag though.

Fist was currently eyeing the most recent visitors to his little establishment through the two way window of his office. He saw Commander Shepard walk in with a female Alliance soldier who was wearing pink and white armor. They seemed to be scanning the place for someone.

_'There's no way they could be here for me? Saren only gave me that job a day ago!' _

Fist hoped his team would track down and tie up all loose ends that could be connected to Saren because pissing off the turian Spectre was the last thing he wanted. He was starting to regret taking the job. The heat has been turning up rapidly.

_'First Vakarian, now Shepard. This just isn't worth it. Though it was a whole lot of money.'_

Fist noticed that Shepard was walking up to one of his regulars, Harkin. He of course was one of the few C-Sec officers he had in his pocket for all the good it goes him now.

_'Damn drunk fucker better not tell them anything.' _

* * *

Harkin was enjoying his sixth or seventh drink and working on a nice buzz when he saw some military bastard walking up to him.

With a mild slur he addressed them. "Alliance military huh? Pfft, I coulda been a marine you know. Instead I joined god damned Citadel Security. Biggest mistake of my life."

Shepard sized him up and knew the best way to handle Harkin was to be direct. "Depending on how you answer my questions, it may only be the second biggest mistake. I'm looking for a turian C-Sec officer named Garrus."

Harkin was too drunk to be intimidated. "Garrus? You must be one of Captain Anderson's crew. Poor bastard's still trying to bring Saren down huh? Sure I know where Garrus is but you gotta do something for me first."

Shepard knew he'd regret asking but went ahead. "Ok what?"

"That sweet thing behind you in the pink. Have her give me handy and we'll call it even."

Ashley nearly had her hand on her Avenger when Shepard gave her a look. It basically said trust me.

"I'm afraid I'll have to hold off on that one for your safety, Harkin. You see she might decide that it doesn't need to be attached anymore. Of course we can still try that if your memory is a little foggy on where Garrus is."

Harkin immediately recoiled. "Hey hey just a joke alright. Damn you military types are always so uptight. Yea I saw Garrus. Told him to head down to the medical clinic a few blocks from here. The doctor there might have some info on Saren he could use."

"And does this doctor actually have info?" Shepard demanded.

"Hell if I know! Fist was after her so she might." Harkin blurted out.

One of the bouncers, glared at him. Another made his way into the back area. Shepard noticed it but didn't make any moves. He had his info. It was time to go.

"I'll be seeing you, Harkin. Don't go disappearing on me now." Shepard threatened.

"Yea, yea just leave me the fuck alone." Harkin dismissed them and returned to his drink.

Once outside, Ashley turned to Shepard. "I wasn't going to kill him you know. Just cut him a little."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Right. Let's get moving. We need to find this doctor before she's taken out."

* * *

Back on the Presidium, Naruto and Kaiden were making their way across the promenade to the financial district. While crossing one of the bridges, Kaiden observed the Mass Relay statue.

"Wow. That's an impressive piece of work."

"Yes it is. It's been on the Citadel ever since they found the thing way back when. A monument left behind by the Protheans. Maybe as testament to their greatness in building the Mass Relay network. No one is really sure. It is a very unique structure though. It feels almost like it's a real Mass Relay." Naruto explained.

It was true though. Whenever Naruto had to visit the Citadel, he'd usually pass by the structure. He could never explain the feeling he got from it. It was like it was an active Mass Relay but for what purpose?

_'Maybe the Protheans just had a sense of humor making a miniature mass relay on the center piece of their empire.' _He thought to himself.

The duo arrived at Barla Von's office a couple minutes later. He was a Volus, a short and stocky race that resembled armored teddy bears in appearance. Their planet has a specific atmospheric mix that requires them to constantly wear full body suits to protect them from the harsh environments of foreign worlds. The unfortunate byproduct of this is steady and deliberate breathing patterns to maintain a proper level of breathable air. To some it is a distraction but most aliens have accepted the Volus' quirks because of their keen prowess in financial aspects. What the Volus lack in physical ability, they more than make up for in mathematical theory. Most Volus take up a profession in the financial world and are some of the most trusted financial advisors in Citadel Space.

"Ah, the great archaeological mind of Naruto Uzumaki. (inhales) I've heard your most recent work on Eden Prime (inhales) did not fare so well." Barla Von greeted.

"You could say that, Von. That actually is part of the reason we're here." Naruto began.

"Yes. (inhales) I see you are traveling with some interesting company. (inhales) My information tells me you arrived with Commander Shepard (inhales), the hero of Torfan." Von continued.

"Never underestimate your spy network, eh Von? One might think you work for the Shadow Broker." Naruto gave him a knowing stare.

"How very blunt as usual, Uzumaki. (inhales) Yes, I am an agent for the Shadow Broker (inhales) and I happen to have some helpful information (inhales) on Saren."

This garnered the attention of Naruto and Kaiden.

"Right to the point. This is certainly new for you. Ok, so whatcha got?" Naruto answered.

"Normally this information would cost a small fortune (inhales) but these are exceptional circumstances. (inhales) So I am going to give it to you for free."

Kaiden wasn't convinced. "So what's the catch?"

"There is no catch. (inhales) The Shadow Broker is quite upset with Saren right now. (inhales) They used to do a lot of business until Saren turned on him." Explained Von.

"Well you get in bed with a snake, you're going to get bit eventually." Naruto offered.

"Perhaps. (inhales) I don't know all the details. (inhales) Saren has a local thug named Fist going around eliminating any loose ends that could incriminate him (inhales) but the Shadow Broker hired a Krogan mercenary to deal with it. (inhales) I heard he was paying a visit to C-Sec as we speak. (inhales) If you hurry you may catch him."

"Thanks, Von. I'll be in touch. Oh and just in case, liquidate my investments at the best price you can get within the next week. I might be needing some funds coming up soon." Naruto added.

"Not a problem, Uzumaki. (inhales) Both of you have a pleasant day." Barla Von performed what passed for a bow for a Volus.

Once outside the office, Naruto and Kaiden started heading towards the C-Sec Academy.

"That wasn't much to go on." Kaiden spoke up.

"Better than nothing which is what we had before. Maybe this merc has a lead on someone with evidence we can use. We'll just have to ask him about it." Naruto replied.

"Yea, but he's a Krogan."

"Then we'll ask him very nicely."

* * *

Shepard and Ashley had made their way across Zakera Ward to the Med Clinic. They were currently standing outside.

"Be ready for anything in here, Williams."

"I got your back, sir."

Shepard had his Raikou pistol in hand and slowly opened the door. Inside, he could hear yelling.

"I didn't tell anyone! I swear!" A female voice could be heard from the back.

"That was smart, doc." A gruff male voice responded.

Shepard moved in and saw the confrontation. Several armed men were threatening the doctor. He could see Garrus slowly moving into a flanking position unnoticed by the thugs. He and Ashley quickly moved in to save the doctor.

"Let her go." Shepard announced putting his gun at the one talking.

"Who are you?" The thug bellowed as he grabbed the doctor to use as a hostage.

Suddenly, Garrus made a move around the pillar he was hiding behind and blasted the man in the head. The other two men with him were stunned at what just happened. They scrambled for cover but were completely overmatched. Ashley tagged the one before he could get behind a desk. The other was taken down by Shepard with several pops to the chest. With the room cleared, Shepard made his way over to Garrus.

"Perfect timing, Shepard. Gave me a clear shot at that bastard." Garrus stated.

"It was a hell of a shot."

Garrus turned to the doctor. "Dr. Michel, are you hurt?"

"No. I'm ok, thanks to you, all of you." Dr. Michel said with a slight Russian accent.

"Was there any reason why these men were after you?" Shepard began.

"They wanted to shut me up. They work for Fist and they wanted to keep me from telling Garrus about the Quarian." She explained.

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "A Quarian?"

"Yes. She came in about a week ago with a gunshot wound but she wouldn't tell me who did it. She was scared and on the run. She asked about the Shadow Broker and how she could arrange a meeting with him. I told her to go see Fist. He's an agent for the Shadow Broker."

"Not anymore." Garrus interrupted. "Now he works for Saren and the Shadow Broker isn't too happy about it."

"Fist betrayed the Shadow Broker? That's beyond stupid. Saren must've given him a fortune." Dr. Michel commented.

"Indeed. That Quarian has to have something Saren wants if he's willing to cross the Shadow Broker to get it." Garrus added.

Shepard needed more to go on. "Did the Quarian mention anything that could link Saren to the Geth?"

"Yes! She did mention the Geth." The doctor replied.

"This is it! The Council can't ignore this evidence." Garrus exclaimed.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves. We need to find this Quarian before Fist does. Where can we find Fist?"

"He's the owner of Chora's Den." Garrus stated.

Ashley jumped in. "Are you kidding me? We were just there. We better hurry or he might take off if he saw us."

"Shit, let's move." Shepard ordered.

Ashley and Garrus sprinted after him back through the wards towards Chora's Den.

_'Hopefully we make it in time.'_ Shepard thought.

* * *

Kaiden and Naruto arrived at the C-Sec academy after what felt like an eternity on the elevator.

_'Turbo lift, my ass.'_

As they walked into the main hallway, they could see a Krogan arguing with several C-Sec officers.

"Looks like we found our guy." Kaiden stated.

"Yep, let's go see what he knows." Naruto replied as they walked towards him.

"Witnesses saw you making threats in Fist's bar. Stay away from him." One of the C-Sec officers warned the Krogan.

"I don't take orders from you." The merc replied.

"This is your only warning, Wrex."

"You should warn Fist. I will kill him."

The officer was frustrated. "You want me to arrest you?"

"I want you to try." Wrex answered with a chuckle.

Naruto turned to Kaiden while pointing his thumb at Wrex. "I like this guy."

Wrex looked over at Naruto and made his way towards him.

"Do I know you, human?" He bluntly stated.

"Nope but we heard you were going after Fist. He has some info we need. We were wondering if you wanted to join forces and kill two birds with one shotgun?" Naruto started.

"I thought the human expression was stone?" Wrex asked.

"Why use a stone when you have a shotgun though?" Naruto shrugged.

"Hehehe, I like you human. Alright, you can come along but just so you know, I'm going to kill him." Wrex warned.

"Fair enough. A job's a job. Just let us get the intel we need and you can have your body."

"So what's your name?"

"I'm the great Naruto Uzumaki, Archaeologist Extraordinaire and galaxy renowned lady's man and this is my faithful sidekick, Kaiden Alenko."

"I'm not your sidekick, ass. I'm Alliance military." Kaiden rebutted.

"Well our partnership has just begun. I figured I'd bring up the super hero names and costume selections later."

Wrex didn't really care either way. "Let's move then. Last I heard he's holed up in his bar, Chora's Den."

"Chora's Den? That's where the Commander and Ashley went." Kaiden proclaimed.

"Well we better get there before they steal all the fun then shall we." Naruto said with a grin.

"Let's go. I'd hate to keep Fist waiting." Wrex grinned.

The three of them flagged down a cab and flew over to the back end Zakera Ward within walking distance of the strip club. When they walked up to the front door of Chora's Den, it was closed off.

"Not a very welcoming place, eh?" Naruto stated.

"Just keep your guard up. It's too quiet down here." Kaiden ordered.

Naruto moved up to the door and saw it was locked. Wrex moved to the other side while Kaiden began decrypting the code.

"Almost got it. There!" Kaiden announced.

The door slid open and a dozen bodyguards and bar workers opened fire.

Wrex charged in and took out three humans before they knew what was happening. Kaiden lay back at the door picking off some of the bartenders that were dumb enough to shoot back at them. Naruto was content enough to keep picking off targets with his pistol until he spotted two Krogan bouncers emerge from the back.

"Shit. Wrex! The store room." Naruto shouted.

Wrex turned and saw the Krogans. He charged the one with a mighty head butt knocking it off balance. The other was about to drill Wrex in the back when Naruto appeared before him and delivered a tremendous roundhouse kick that sent the Krogan flying back into the wall.

"Whoa!" Kaiden was dumbfounded.

Naruto proceeded to dismantle the disoriented Krogan with a flurry of kicks and punches until he was able to fire a shot straight into its head ending the fight. Wrex was finishing up his own Krogan bouncer when they noticed the room was cleared.

"Where the hell did you learn to do that? I've never seen anyone handle a Krogan so convincingly." Kaiden exclaimed.

"Meh, this guy must've been slacking off because usually Krogans are tougher than hell to take on barehanded." Naruto replied casually.

"Damn impressive for a human but yea, he was a bum as far as I'm concerned. No self respecting Krogan would ever be a bouncer let alone for some two bit crook like Fist." Wrex stated.

"Speaking of which, how bout we go find the man of the hour?" Naruto steered back to the matter at hand.

They all agreed and head back into the store room to find Fist. They found a hallway that led to more offices in the back. Kaiden was leading the way flanked by Naruto and Wrex. As they were rounding a corner, they could hear Fist talking to himself.

"Why do I have to do everything myself?"

Naruto heard the distinct hiss of a turret warming up. He quickly grabbed Kaiden and pulled him back into cover just before laser fire lit up the wall across from them.

"Phew, thanks." Kaiden graciously stated.

"No problem. Now let's get this bastard."

Naruto managed to take down the shields on the turret but couldn't get around the corner to get a shot in to end them. Wrex lobbed a few grenades into the area and watched them bank off the wall towards the turrets position.

"Oh shit!" Fist shouted.

The explosion that followed took out both turrets and left Fist reeling on the floor. The trio casually made their way over. He was rolling in pain when they walked over.

"Don't bother getting up, we'll show ourselves in." Naruto joked.

"You bastards. What do you want?" Fist growled.

"What do you know about Saren?" Kaiden demanded.

"He hired me to eliminate key people that knew about him. Paid me a fortune."

"Hard to spend money when you're dead. Keep talking. Did any of these people know something about Eden Prime?" Naruto continued.

"Yea. A Quarian. She said she had evidence and wanted to meet the Shadow Broker to do an exchange. I told her I'd set up the meeting but it was really just to kill her without getting my hands dirty. Saren's men will be waiting for her."

"Son of a bitch. When is this meeting?" Kaiden asked.

"Like 20 minutes from now. It's in an alley about two blocks over from here. If you hurry maybe you can catch her."

"Thanks for your cooperation. Wrex?" Naruto said.

Wrex leveled his shotgun and blew Fist away.

"What the hell?" Kaiden shouted.

"I told you I was going to kill him." Wrex stated matter-of-factly.

"He did, Kaiden. You don't interfere with a merc and his job unless it's your friend they're after. Just not worth it, especially not for a scumbag like Fist." Naruto shrugged.

"Whatever. Let's just hurry and stop that meeting." Kaiden stated.

They made their way back to the front of the club just as Shepard, Ashley and Garrus were walking in.

"Fancy meeting you here." Naruto commented.

"We came to talk to Fist about a Quarian. She might have something on Saren." Shepard announced.

"Ha. Good luck with that." Wrex joked.

"Fist is unavailable for the rest of his life... which is already over." Naruto said. "He did however tell us that our Quarian friend is walking into a trap set by Saren's men in a few minutes."

"Shit. Do we know where?" Shepard asked.

"Some back alley a couple blocks from here. We need to hurry though." Kaiden proclaimed.

"Alright, let's move people." Shepard turned to the Krogan. "I don't know who you are but if you're coming with us, follow my lead."

"I'm not a big fan of Saren either. So anything that hurts him is good by me." Wrex said.

"Lead the way then, Kaiden." Shepard ordered.

Kaiden took point flanked by Ashley and Shepard. Naruto, Wrex and Garrus fell in behind them and kept their eyes peeled. They made their way to an alley that looked like it could be the place. Up ahead, they could hear some kind of argument. There was an armored squad of aliens surrounding a Quarian.

A turian addressed her first. "Did you bring it?"

"Where's the Shadow broker? Where's Fist?" The Quarian demanded.

"They'll be here. Where's the evidence?"

"No way. The deals off."

The turian signaled to his Salarian comrades and they began to move in. The Quarian female threw an overload tech at them knocking them back into the crates. Shepard and his team moved in.

"Take em down, people." Shepard ordered.

All six of them opened fire. Two of the Salarians were dropped instantly. Several others got in a few hits on the Alliance team.

"Shields down!" Kaiden yelled.

"I got you." Ashley moved in to support.

Garrus picked off the sniper at the back of the alley causing the problems. A shot square between the eyes ended him. Wrex couldn't get a decent shot with his shotgun since they were so far away.

"Screw this! Raaaarhh!" Wrex charged the turian assassin knocking him back into the wall. He took a few shots to his arm though. Despite the damage he was unfazed.

Naruto and Shepard were picking off the rest but there were two hunkered down right now the Quarian and closing on her position.

"Shepard. The Quarian. Cover me." Naruto dove out of cover as Shepard threw down some fire.

Naruto darted up the wall and dove down right on top of the unsuspecting assassins. He blew the head off the one while the other was taken out by a shot to the head from Shepard.

"Hey! I had that one too." Naruto cried.

"Can't let you have all the fun. You'll have to show me that walk on walls trick. I've never seen that one before." Shepard stated.

The alley was cleared. There were only some minor scrapes and burns but nothing serious for the team. The Quarian made her way over to the group.

"Fist set me up! I knew I couldn't trust him." She started.

"Don't worry about him. I took care of it." Wrex stated with a laugh.

"Then I guess there are two things I need to thank you guys for. Who are you?" She asked.

"My name's Shepard and these are my associates." Shepard began.

Naruto whispered to Ashley. "Is that all we are to him? I feel hurt."

Ashley just rolled her eyes.

Shepard continued. "We're looking for evidence to prove Saren's a traitor."

"Then I have a chance to repay you for saving my life but not here. We need to go somewhere safe." The Quarian replied.

"Alright, let's head to the human embassy. By the way, what's your name?" Shepard asked.

"Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. Pleasure to meet all of you." Tali said.

"Likewise, Tali." Shepard responded.

They all gathered themselves and made their way up to the embassy for a what would undoubtedly be a long chat with the ambassador.

Naruto decided to chime in on the walk there. "I don't know about anyone else, but I am getting wasted after all this mess."

"For once, I agree with you blondie." Ashley replied.

"First round is on Kaiden!" Naruto shouted.

"What?!" Kaiden asked incredulously.

They all had a laugh at that. Things were looking up all of a sudden now that they got what they came for.

_'We can finally put Eden Prime behind us with this but I don't think we'll be able to relax for awhile.'_ Shepard thought.

* * *

Decided that the Spectre ceremony wasn't really necessary to wrap up this chapter. It'll be mentioned in the next one but not in detail. We'll be moving on with the story once I figure out which parts I want to include and change. Hopefully I'll keep this within a week pace going. Wish me luck. Again, please review. I enjoy reading them as they give me sustenance to keep going.

Updated a few plotholes and made sure Ashley's rank was Gunny not Lt. Minor thing but accuracy is key. Thank you to Maevis Pas for pointing that out.


	3. Intoxicated with the Madness

As an explanation for text:

_Italics with no quotes_ - Dream or flashback

_'Italics with single quotes'_ - Thoughts for a character

_"Italics with double quotes"_ - A voice speaking over an intercom (usually an unimportant person) or a voice recording (can be important people).

* * *

Intoxicated with the Madness

_Pleasant warmth engulfed him and caressed his skin. The heat from the light above created the perfect cocoon to escape reality. His worries left him in this blissful paradise. Soft blades of grass tickled his feet as he embraced the feeling of eternity. The golden light washed away any care._

_Without warning, a lightning bolt sliced through the light and darkness poured its way through the fissure. A monstrous beast ravaged the now frozen terrain as it tore through the once pristine fields leaving fallow ground and dust behind. Tails of wicked energy ripped up the landscape around him as he fought this terrible foe for survival. They traded blows for what felt like days with neither of them relenting. Its enormous paw was descending rapidly, about to crush him into oblivion._

His eyes snapped open and in an instant, he regretted it. Naruto vigorously rubbed his temple as it felt like an anvil slammed into his skull. Whether it was from the alcohol or the demon inside him he wasn't sure.

_'Is it messing with me again or was that just a memory? It's been a long time since it's tried to break free.'_

He shook his head to remove the cobwebs but only managed to increase the throbbing in his skull.

'_Holy fuck. What the hell did I drink?'_ He thought to himself.

Thoughts of his internal problem faded for the more immediate situation. A barrage of images assaulted his memory as he tried to piece together the night before.

'_Let's see. We completed the mission thanks to Tali. Then we shoved it in the Council's face. Shepard was named a Spectre. I insisted on everyone getting smashed to celebrate. Then it gets a little hazy.'_ He recapped.

As he was piecing things together, he noticed a comfortable presence in the bunk with him. He looked over to see the beautiful brunette he had been teasing all week sleeping peacefully curled into his side.

'_Well now that's interesting. Hmm, let me see though. Clothes all still on for both of us. Doubt we did anything to regret, not that I would have regretted it.'_ Naruto analyzed.

She stirred a little and mumbled a bit in her sleep. "Mmm just a few more minutes. No wakey time yet."

"Now that is just freaking adorable." Naruto squealed.

Ashley recognized the voice but was still in too much of a post drunken haze to figure out her position. She was resting comfortably with her arm wrapped around the blonde archaeologist while her legs were intertwined with his own. "Naruto, keep your voice down. I'm still too tired and drunk for your shenanigans."

"Shenanigans?" Naruto chuckled.

He contemplated how much of a shit storm this was going to be and how best to approach it. He figured the normal route would be best for a change. Playing games here may get him killed.

"Hey, Ash? I think your shift is soon. We should probably get up before Shepard barges in and gets the wrong idea." He whispered.

She mumbled a bit into his chest. "What's he going to get the wrong idea about?"

"Oh I don't know. Us sharing a bunk after a night of heavy drinking might not be the hardest thing to jump to conclusions on."

"Ha. Us sharing a bunk? That's funny." She sleepily replied. Suddenly her head popped up. Her astonished, chocolate colored eyes peered directly into his calm blue ones.

She pinched the bridge of her nose as she realized her position. "Please tell me we didn't do it."

"As much as I would love to affirm that, no I believe we did not. Just a drunken night of fun between two friends that ended up with them sleeping together… literally." Naruto assured her.

"Thank god. Uh no offense." She quickly added.

"None taken. I know we joke around with each other but I wouldn't want some drunken one night stand if we ever actually got that far." He said with a comforting grin.

She smiled. "Thanks. I'm not really the party type of girl. I'm pretty religious and believe in the whole waiting till marriage thing."

"No need to worry about it. Now how about we get up before the rumor mill spreads even though it probably already has." Naruto stated as he moved to sit up.

Ashley followed suit as they both put their shoes on. Having straightened out their clothing, they made their way out of the bunks and back into the mess hall. No one seemed to be up but Shepard's door was open. Naruto could see the desk light on with Shepard going over some files.

"I'm going to go get some coffee started." Ashley stated.

"Sounds like a plan. Let me know when it's ready. I'm going to check on our fearless leader." He added.

Naruto made his way over to the open door. He could see Shepard working diligently at his desk going over the audio files Tali provided. He could hear Saren's voice again.

_"Eden Prime was a major victory. The beacon has brought us one step closer to finding the Conduit."_

_"And one step closer to the return of the Reapers." _The female voice that followed was that of Matriarch Benezia as was explained by the Asari councilor.

Naruto knocked on the door frame. "How's it going, Boss?"

"Boss?"

"Well even though you're not a captain, the ship is yours now right?"

"I guess it is. Still hasn't sunk in that Captain Anderson stepped down."

"It had to be done. As a Spectre you needed your own ship. The Captain understood that." Naruto added.

"Even so, you're not part of the crew. Do you remember my offer from last night?" Shepard began.

"Probably not the whole thing but I do have some foggy memories of you asking me to come along on this crazy mission and me giving an overly excited w_oohoo_ in response." Naruto said as he rubbed his forehead.

"You want to back out now that you're sober?" Shepard offered.

"Not a chance. You need people of intelligence on this sort of quest... mission... thing." Naruto replied.

"Uh huh. Sure you're not just tagging along for my new gunnery chief?" Shepard teased.

Naruto simply shrugged. "Every job has its fringe benefits."

Shepard chuckled and turned back to the files.

"So listening to it again give you any more insight?" Naruto pondered.

"No. Nothing new. Just wondering if the Reapers are what I saw in that vision." Shepard said.

"Well how about we get acquainted. You tell me about your vision, I tell you a little about my past."

"Just a little?"

"Trust is a hard thing to earn, Shepard. I realize you're putting a lot of risk in bringing someone like me along. More so than even Garrus, Wrex or Tali. Those three have pretty standard parameters to know what to expect. I'm a human with some amazing abilities even for the standard biotic. I know I'm asking a lot but you're going to have to trust me."

"Alright. You've shown yourself to be an ally so far. The minute I think you're jeopardizing my crew though..." Shepard let the threat hang.

Naruto smiled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from someone with your character."

"Just don't give me a reason to throw you out the airlock and I'll continue to trust you." Shepard added.

"Fair enough. So I guess I'll start with myself. I'll give you the basics without boring you with the details. I have advanced biotic abilities that come naturally to me. For reasons I won't get into now, I'm not nearly as strong as I used to be. Along with these abilities comes an impossibly efficient healing factor that pretty much keeps me safe from all but immediately life threatening injury."

Shepard was curious about that. "You'll have to explain that one for me. How bad of a life threatening injury?"

Naruto contemplated what to say. "Cutting off my head would probably end it. Luckily I've kept that on for my whole life. Also I've never tried doing a space walk with no suit. I'd rather not experiment to find out. I've survived sniper shots and shotgun blasts though. Of course I'm pretty fast as you've noticed so I try to avoid getting hit when I can because it still hurts like eight bitches on a bitch boat."

"How fast would you say?"

"Like blink of an eye fast. I can cover a mile in about ten seconds. I used to have a technique that would allow me to teleport instantaneously from these special artifacts called kunai."

Shepard was shocked at that. "Teleport! Really?"

"Yea amazing science I worked out. I was able to manipulate my internal biotic field to generate miniature mass effect tunnels to move me from one place to another. I used the kunai as a holder for the receiving mass field. Throw it to where I went or leave it somewhere and I could teleport my way to it by feeling out where it is."

Shepard was beyond impressed. "That's amazing. Why hasn't this ever been studied before?"

"Well mainly cause my body was the only one durable enough to withstand the stress and because it was a long time ago."

Shepard glossed over the time factor since he was still amazed by this teleportation tech. "Can you still use it?"

"Only in extreme emergencies. Something happened awhile back to me that has made it so my body can't deal with the stress over an extended period of time. I'd get one, maybe two jumps in before my body would shut me down into a coma for like a week or so."

"You keep saying _a while ago_. How long are we talking here?" Shepard asked.

Naruto wanted to be careful here. "That's one I'm going to have to hold back on, Shep. Let's just say I'm a lot older than I look. A side effect of that healing factor has made it so I don't really age that fast."

_'Or at all really.' _Naruto added in his mind.

Shepard was skeptical about that one but didn't press. "Alright. I guess that's fair. Any other abilities you want to share?"

"Well there's the walking on walls thing. A simple trick of applying the right level of biotics in the correct proportions to the structure of the wall that allows me to appear to be walking along it when in actuality I'm hovering on it at molecular level. Really any biotic could do it but it takes time and a whole lot of repetition."

"Fascinating. You should probably talk to Kaidan about it. He's a biotic too." Shepard commented.

"I noticed. I'll talk to him when I can."

"So anything else?" Shepard asked.

"I have this old girl." Naruto suddenly unsealed his HF blade from the tattoo on his shoulder. "_Kurama_ here is a High Frequency blade."

"Wow! That's an amazing antique. It should be in a museum." Shepard was in awe of the blade.

"It was for a bit until I got her back." Naruto noticed Shepard raise his eyebrow. "A story for another time. Anyway, she may be old but she's far from useless. This baby here has been by my side through many battles and we've come through together every time."

"They stopped making those back in the early 21st century. How did you ever get your hands on one?" Shepard inquired.

"Very carefully." Naruto cryptically replied with a grin. "I have a friend who is very good at acquiring highly secured items. As far as my ability to use it, well, you saw the piles of Geth on Eden Prime."

Shepard did indeed remember and whistled at the potential. "So that thing really cuts through shields and armor?"

"Well most armor. There might be some custom jobs out there that could possibly block it but for the most part, armor can't hold up to it. Just a matter of getting close enough. I don't really like wearing armor myself. Slows me down and most shots that armor would stop I'm impervious too anyway. The bigger stuff I try to dodge." Naruto explained.

"It's all very impressive. So how exactly are you an archaeologist?"

"I'm sure you probably realize this hasn't always been my profession. Only the last 20 years or so. I enjoy finding relics of the ancient world. Seeing what secrets the past holds. There's a whole galaxy full of secrets and I want to know as many as I can. Prothean artifacts started to become my specialty because they offered the most potential when it comes to information since most of their relics were built to last. A lot of them provide a mental information transfer like the one you experienced. Very intense though. Knocked me down the first time too but like I said, I can withstand a lot of things. I'm amazed you were up within the day and ready to function."

"It certainly took a lot out of me." Shepard said while rubbing the back of his neck.

"So, I showed you mine. What did you see?" Naruto eagerly asked.

"It was death and destruction. Some alien race was being slaughtered by a race of synthetics. I think it was the end of the Protheans." Shepard began.

"Hmm, that beacon must've been some kind of warning then for future races to find."

"I think so. When I heard the name Reapers from Matriarch Benezia on the recording Tali gave us, it was like it clicked in my brain. That's what the synthetics were. That's what the Protheans called them."

"So whatever they are, the Reapers are bad news. Makes sense then why Saren is after them. They could be a powerful weapon." Naruto explained.

"Yea but the rest of the vision is a jumbled mess. I don't know what the Conduit is or anything else on the Reapers." Shepard said with a frustrated sigh.

"So what's our next move then? Obviously we have to beat Saren to whatever the Conduit is if that's his next target." Naruto asked.

"Since I'm a Spectre now, the Council gave me some leads to go on. There have been reports from our colony on Feros that they have seen Geth ships."

"Obviously not good. I've been there a few times. Feros has some impressive Prothean architecture. What else?"

"Noveria has also received an influx of Geth activity."

"The Corporate World? Man, I can't think of a worse hell to go to." Naruto scoffed.

"Not a fan of corporations I take it?" Shepard asked.

"No just the scumbags who run them. Many of the atrocities I've seen in my time have been the end cause of some corporate bastard's ambition to increase their company's profit. Noveria is basically the Wild West for all of them."

"Do I have to have a leash on you when we go?" Shepard mocked.

"I thought you said guys weren't your thing?" Naruto teased.

Shepard wasn't fazed by Naruto's commentary anymore. "Just want to make sure we get what we need before you go vigilante on me."

"Now my dear Shepard, vigilantes don't get paid. I'd never blow up a billion credit corporation unless someone was giving me top dollar."

Shepard didn't know whether to take that as a good thing or bad thing. "As long as we don't have an incident while we're there."

Naruto crossed his heart. "Scout's honor."

"Is that salute even right?"

"Not sure. I never was a good scout."

"Were you ever even a scout?"

"Why do you think I wasn't good at it?"

Shepard just sighed. "Right."

"So, any other leads to go on?" Naruto steered the conversation back on topic.

Shepard turned back to his notes. "There was one. Matriarch Benezia has a daughter. It's unclear whether or not she has ties to her mother in all of this but she is working on a dig on the planet Therum in the Knossos System."

"Dig you say? What's her profession?" Naruto was intrigued.

"Archaeologist of course." Shepard stated with a smirk.

"Really? What's her name? Maybe I know her."

"Dr. T'Soni."

"Liara? Wow. That goes back a few years." Naruto said as he reminisced.

"So you do know her? How far back are we talking?" Shepard asked.

"I'd say about 15 years or so. I was still pretty young at the galactic archaeologist thing. I took a job on a dig in this little hell hole called Sanctum out in Sigard's Cradle. Mean planet. Frozen ice storms, pirates, CO2 out the ass. Surviving was impressive for those that made a living there. Me? I was there because someone found a Prothean artifact buried in one of the mines. Liara was the lead archaeologist on the dig. She had been doing the Prothean thing for over 30 years at that point but she wasn't even past 100. That's pretty amazing for an Asari."

"What can you tell me about her?" Shepard cut in.

"Something about her drew me in. She's brilliant, no question but she has an infectious personality not at all unlike yours truly. She's probably the top mind when it comes to Prothean knowledge. Plus she can handle herself. Her biotics were well above average even for Asari standards. I used to love having a spar with her once we were done for the day." Naruto thought back with a smile. "She'd definitely be great to have on this mission."

"And you think she wouldn't have any ties with her mother?" Shepard was curious.

"You're probably not aware of Asari social structure. From 25 on, Asari venture out to find themselves in what they call the Maiden years. For most it means a lot of sex, drugs and rock and roll. Usually by the time they reach 200, they settle down and start to focus on their careers. Consequently, they can go decades without speaking to their mothers. Even though Liara was much more mild in her quests, I doubt she has even talked to Benezia since she was a kid." Naruto explained.

"Alright. Thanks for the input." Shepard turned back to his files.

"No prob, Boss." Naruto turned to go catch that cup of coffee with Ashley.

"One more thing." Shepard suddenly asked. "My door is always open. So if you feel like you can trust me, I'd like to hear your whole story one day."

Naruto didn't turn around but he did acknowledge Shepard. "I'll think about it."

Shepard turned back to his desk. There was a lot to do. He felt as acting Captain, he should make the effort to get to know his crew better. Some he knew well enough like Pressley, Joker, Engineer Adams and Dr. Chakwas having served several years now with them. Kaidan was relatively new having only been here for six months. He felt like he barely knew him. Then of course there was his trio of alien mercs in Garrus, Wrex and Tali. He'd have to find out what makes them tick to make sure they were at their best for this mission.

_'Guess I better make the rounds before we decide our next move.'_ Shepard thought.

Today was going to be a long day.

* * *

Tali was in heaven. Some may find heaven as a pristine paradise where they can relax with a cold beverage and wash all their cares away. Tali's version involved impossibly advanced ship technology with an accessible modification panel that she was free to tinker with. The entire engineering crew watched her work some magic with the drive core as she tweaked the computations in her quest to get the maximum efficiency out of the Normandy's engine.

"So I take it you've been around a few drive cores Miss…" Chief Engineer Adams left the open question hanging.

"Oh I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. And yes, I grew up on starships. So my whole life has been spent around drive cores but I've never seen something as fantastic as this. Something like this is beyond my wildest dreams. Especially back where I come from." Tali rambled. "I didn't mean to jump in and take over your console but I just couldn't resist."

"That's alright." Adams insisted. "The Commander brought you onboard for a reason. He briefed me on some of your skills. I always wanted to meet a Quarian. A whole race of engineers by necessity. Glad I got the chance."

"Yes. We learn how to maintain our vessels at an early age because you never know when a repair will be needed."

"That's probably why your people have such a great reputation when it comes to these types of things. Feel free to tinker all you like. I'll let you know if you get too close to something critical. I'm interested in what you can get out of her." Adams commented.

"Thank you very much. I may never get a chance like this again." Tali beamed.

While she was diligently working on her modifications, Shepard had walked up to greet her. "I see you've settled in nicely, Tali."

"Shepard. Your ship's amazing! I've never seen a drive core this big before. I'm amazed you could fit it into a ship this compact."

Shepard was glad Naruto wasn't here because he just knew there'd be a sexual innuendo served up from that softball. Tali continued though.

"I'm starting to realize why you humans have been so successful. I never appreciated how advanced Alliance vessels were."

"The Normandy is special. Everything you see here is the cutting edge of our tech. So while Alliance ships are probably more advanced than most Quarian vessels, the Normandy is on a whole other level entirely. Hard to compare her to anything out there." Shepard explained.

"If only my friends back in the flotilla could see me now. My people make do with cast offs and derelicts that we patch up to keep going. Being on this ship is a dream." She glowed. "I must thank you again for letting me come along."

"Well if our little celebration last night didn't scare you off, you'll fit in fine here." Shepard said with a grin.

"Yes that was very… interesting. I have never had the chance to intake alcohol before. Perhaps in the future I will join in with your crew but I wasn't sure how my body would have reacted with a foreign substance such as that. Better to not get deathly ill on my first day on the team." Tali bashfully stated.

"Don't worry Tali. I've read up on your people's special circumstances. I made sure Dr. Chakwas stocked up on plenty of anti-biotics and I've had the galley include plenty of dextro-amino based food choices for you and Garrus. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask." He thoughtfully added.

"Thank you, Shepard. I do appreciate it. Most people are not so accommodating to Quarians. The freighters I've traveled on during my pilgrimage have at least just ignored me but I've heard horrible stories from others that have experienced far worse." Tali shivered.

"No need to worry yourself about it. Anything you need, I can get it for you." Shepard grinned.

"So what else is on your mind?" She asked.

"Well I was going to get to know you a little more but it looks like we're running short on time. I told Garrus and Wrex that we'll be having a briefing at 0800 hours. I'd like all three of you there. We're going to go over what we know and where we should head next."

"I will do that. Thanks again." Tali said graciously.

With that, she got back to her dream job. She couldn't help but think about how nice the Commander was though.

_'Going out of his way to make sure aliens are comfortable on his ship. I guess the rumors I heard about humans weren't all true. I hope he comes back to talk soon. It was… nice.'_

* * *

Kaidan was nursing a decent headache as he poured another cup of coffee. It had been there for a short period of time so it was still warm. After a few moments, He felt the presence of someone walking up behind him.

"You bounced back pretty quickly, Kaidan. I thought for sure we'd have to peel you from your bunk." Naruto joked.

"Look who's talking. I didn't think it was humanly possible to drink that much tequila." Kaidan quipped.

"You know how it is. Biotics help a lot of the hangover blues but that opening wakeup call is still a doozy."

"Yea, I know what you mean. I haven't felt this crappy since my Academy days."

"I'll bet."

Kaidan debated asking a personal question or not. He wasn't the type to pry but Naruto's biotic abilities were amazing. "So how long have you been able to use your biotics if you don't mind me asking?"

"Not at all. I trained since I was six to harness the energy and use it. By the time I was twelve, I was able to manipulate biotic energy to perform simple maneuvers. Since then, I've spent a good portion of my life mastering my abilities. I always need to stay in top form for… well reasons I won't go into now." Naruto explained.

"Got a price on your head or something?" Kaidan joked.

"Something like that. I just always need to be prepared for the worst. It's what I've been doing my whole life."

"Still, training since you were six, what program were you in?"

"Konoha. You wouldn't have heard of them."

"Yea never have. So I take it archaeology isn't a full time job." Kaidan inquired.

"Oh no, that is my life's calling. I've been doing that for a really long time now. Only about 20 years or so on a galactic scale though." Naruto stated.

"20 years? Come on. You don't look any older than 30."

"Like I said to Shepard, I'm a lot older than I look. There's more than meets the eye with me. I'll let everyone in on some of it just to make sure you're all aware of what I can do. It's good to know each other's abilities in combat. Makes for a more cohesive unit."

Kaidan was clearly skeptical but accepted it. "Alright. I've seen you in action so I know you're not a typical biotic."

"Speaking of which, perhaps I can offer some tricks I've learned. We can share notes so to speak." Naruto offered.

"I'm up for any new ideas. Back in BATT, the program I was in, they pretty much told us how to get used to our biotics and then how to use them as weapons. Their methods weren't always the safest either. The program didn't last very long once the higher ups realized what was going on."

"Sounds rough. Not my business though. I was just curious how adept you've become with them."

"I've got the basics down. Throw, Lift and Barrier plus I can do a little bit of Stasis as well."

Naruto was not expecting anything different. Pretty much all modern human biotics he's met have had similar training. "Let me see how you mold your energy."

"Alright." Kaidan began to force the energy through his L2 implant to mold it into a visible substance glowing around his hand. After a minute though, he grew tired. He massaged his forehead to relieve some of the pain caused by the implant. "It takes a lot just to hold it for more than a few minutes. I can withstand short bursts which is all you need for most of my moves."

Naruto nodded. "As I thought. Now I know this is going to sound unorthodox at first but hear me out. The way you've been molding your energy is completely ass backwards."

"What?!" Kaidan incredulously replied.

"It's not your fault. You were taught by aliens I'll bet. Their physiology is so different from our own that they wouldn't have the first clue on how to use it properly for a human."

Kaidan was surprised. "How did you…"

"I've seen it before but that's not important now. First off, these implants that supposedly enhance your biotics are an inhibitor. They force your body to focus all the energy to one single point and then take it back from that point instead of letting it flow naturally through your entire body."

Kaidan was just amazed at what he was hearing. "How do you know all of this?"

"Like I said, more than meets the eye. Anyway, humans have always had the ability to wield biotics. It's a skill just like any other that can be trained and harnessed. The problem is that humans haven't used it in so long that they've all but forgotten how to unlock these skills." Naruto explained.

Kaidan was fascinated. "So we all have the potential to be biotics?"

"Yes. It's inherently built into our DNA. The art to unlocking that skill though has been mostly lost in time."

"But I take it you know this art." Kaidan guessed.

"It's how I was trained." Naruto grinned. "Watch closely."

Naruto began molding his energy into his palm. He easily formed a rasengan sphere in his hand and was able to hold the shape effortlessly for several minutes before he let it dissipate.

Needless to say, Kaidan was impressed. "That is just amazing!"

"That my friend is the tip of the iceberg. There's almost unlimited potential to be used from biotic manipulation. Different elements can be added to attacks to increase effectiveness. Fire, Earth, Water, Wind, Lightning; every human is tuned to some aspect of nature. It's all a matter of unlocking the potential."

As another example, Naruto caused a light breeze to swirl around Kaidan. He could feel the wind flowing through his hair and couldn't help but laugh.

"Now, let me offer a new way for you to mold your energy. You currently are forcing it through that implant and that is what is causing the stress on your body. It is rejecting the natural flow of your energy. Instead, I want you to relax. Do not force the energy. Let it come from you. Feel it wash over your entire body and then guide it to the point you wish and have it go down the path predesignated inside of your body."

Kaidan gave it a try. It was difficult to forget over a decade's worth of training but he calmed himself and focused on relaxing. When he reached down to feel the energy, he realized that he didn't need to reach. It was just there. He let the energy flow through his body and let it cascade down ancient chakra networks of the human body. He couldn't believe the feeling of his biotic energy flowing through him without causing pain or headaches.

"This is incredible!"

"I know, right? This is how I feel all day every day. Now you know why I'm so awesome." Naruto boasted.

Kaidan ignored the usual cockiness of Naruto and took in this experience. It was like a doorway to an entire new dimension of reality was just unlocked. Never had he thought he had the potential of a natural biotic.

"So, what do you think?" Naruto asked.

"That my whole life to this point has been wasted. I could have been so much more." Kaidan was frustrated and excited at the same time.

"Tell you what. When we have some down time, I'll help you out with some of the simpler stuff like meditating to help mold energy or as I call it chakra. From there I can teach you some helpful tricks like walking on walls or enhancing your speed and strength. You'll be a walking powerhouse in no time."

"You can walk on walls?"

"Did you miss me when we saved Tali?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Well I was hunkered down since my shields gave out. I would've remembered that."

"Well yes I can walk on walls. And water. Water is much harder. Second nature to me now but definitely harder than wall-walking for sure. Invaluable tool though. Never know when it comes in handy."

"Well we got that briefing with Shepard coming up but I want to get back to this as soon as we can." Kaidan said excitedly.

"Sure thing. We'll set up a schedule."

With that, Naruto had gained an unsuspecting student. Poor bastard didn't know what he was in for.

* * *

Shepard had been going through his email for the last 20 minutes or so. There were half a dozen requests from the Alliance to take on various side missions plus emails from random people he'd never heard of that must've looked him up since he became a Spectre.

_'Am I some errand boy now? Didn't see that in the Spectre manual.'_

Currently he was on a call with Admiral Hackett in his quarters.

"I appreciate your situation Admiral but right now I'm focused on finding Saren and the Conduit. If I have some time I'll look into those issues for you."

"I understand, Commander. We're used to calling on you to handle these types of things so much that it had just become second nature. We'll try to take care of some of these as best as we can. Luna Base though, we're going to have to leave abandoned until you can get in there. We've lost several units already trying to retake it. I'm afraid you might be the only one to get to the VI's core." Hackett explained.

Shepard didn't want to be insubordinate. "Will do, Admiral. As soon as I can, I will try to get back there."

"Sounds good, Commander. Hackett out."

Shepard sighed as he finally got through all of his messages. _'Most of these are meaningless crap. Track down my sister. Go get this artifact for me. Find a missing freighter. Do these people think I sit around doing nothing all day?'_

Of all the messages, the only things that looked remotely important were the rogue VI on Luna base and Admiral Kohaku's missing soldiers in the Sparta system. Something didn't feel right about that.

_'Well this mission to recruit Dr. T'Soni is in the same cluster. Maybe we'll swing by once we're done.'_

Shepard looked up at the time and noticed he had ten minutes until the briefing.

He made his way back up to bridge level and moved into the conference room. He noticed that Ashley was already there.

"How are you doing this morning, Williams?" Shepard greeted.

She looked a little nervous. "Umm fine, sir. I just wanted to apologize for any behavior that may have been unbecoming last night. I hope you won't think negatively on me for it."

Shepard just chuckled. "One thing you'll learn under my command is that I don't really follow the discipline angle of the role. I respect you. You respect me. As long as we get the job done, I don't care what goes on in between."

Ashley visibly relaxed. "Thank you, sir."

"So who you end up in bed with at the end of the day is none of my business." Shepard teased a little.

Ashley turned very red. "Noted, sir."

After a few moments, the rest of the team that Shepard had invited entered the briefing room. Garrus and Wrex took seats to the right.

"Nice conference room, Shepard. When were they going to finish the table and chairs?" Garrus quipped referring to the stumps that they were apparently supposed to sit on.

Shepard shrugged. "This was a partial Turian design. I figured your people had a thing against them or something."

"Definitely Turian military then. Those guys think comfort is a metal slab chilled to room temperature." Garrus grumbled.

"Quit your crying, pyjak. Back on Tchunka, we'd be lucky to have a nice pile of debris to sit on." Wrex jumped in.

"Sorry old man. I'll get off your lawn now." Garrus retorted.

Wrex just laughed.

Naruto entered and gave a nod to Shepard. Kaidan followed closely behind but was deep in thought. He didn't acknowledge Shepard but the Commander took no offense.

Tali was the last to arrive running in almost out of breath. "Sorry. I hope I'm not late. I was just so caught up in modifying the acceleration system that I lost track of time." Tali apologized.

"Right on time actually." Shepard stated. "Alright people, let's get down to business. Our mission is to find Saren and stop him from getting to the Conduit. Our objectives are to find out what the Conduit is and why Saren is after it and eliminate Saren at all costs. This isn't a mission to arrest the bastard. Saren gets a slug to the head when we find him."

He waited to see everyone's reaction. No one seemed that upset about it. So he continued.

"We currently have no idea where Saren is but we do have some leads. There is a human colony on Feros that we've received reports about. Apparently they are dealing with a lot of Geth sightings recently. We'll have to check that out and see if there are any leads to Saren. Our next lead is on Noveria. Same situation there. A lot of Geth activity is being reported. We'll go and have a look to see what we can find. Last, we have a lead on Matriarch Benezia's daughter. Dr. Liara T'Soni. She's a Prothean specialist currently working on Therum. We're going to go see if we can recruit her to come along for insight on her mother and also Prothean technology."

Ashley chimed in. "Naruto is already an expert on Prothean tech though. Do we need another one?"

"As much as I appreciate your confidence, Ash, Liara is the top mind in the field. I'm sure she has a vast wealth of knowledge even I couldn't touch. Plus I've seen what she can do in battle. She's no slouch and would be helpful in a fight." Naruto stated.

"You've met her before?" Ashley sounded a bit jealous.

"Many years ago, I worked with her on a dig. Trust me when I say we can only benefit from having her onboard." Naruto added.

"I agree with Naruto on this. That's why we're heading there first to meet her and hopefully recruit her for the team." Shepard commanded.

Garrus nodded. "What do we know about Therum then?"

Shepard turned to bring up the vid. "It's a mining planet. Mostly uninhabitable. There's continuous lava flow on much of the surface and lots of volatile seismic activity."

Naruto cut in. "It may have been habitable at one point in the distant past as there are numerous Prothean settlements that can be found."

"Dr. T'Soni will be in this dig site here." Shepard pointed to the map. "The terrain is too volatile to get a drop in close. We'll have to move in by Mako from here and work our way up."

Ashley jumped in. "Are we expecting any enemy activity?"

"Sketchy reports at best but they say there have been Geth in the system recently. I think odds are better than good that they may have an interest in the top Prothean specialist if they are working for Saren." Shepard explained. "Any other questions?"

No one spoke up.

"Alright. Joker. What's our ETA?" Shepard asked.

"We're in route to the Knossos system. ETA to Therum is 25 minutes." Joker stated over the intercom.

"Let's get geared up and ready in 15. We're taking the whole team down. Be ready for anything. Dismissed."

* * *

Liara T'Soni was having a bad day. Her excavation of the Prothean ruins on Therum was taking longer than normal and funding from her sponsor was being interrupted due to misfiled paperwork. Her dig team was busy filing a grievance for unsafe work conditions after they had successfully turned the Prothean reactor back on. So that left her pretty much alone to finish the job. She was running low on supplies and needed to wait three more days for the next freighter to come in. On top of that, unknown forces began landing near her dig site and appeared to be hostile.

_'By the Goddess. What now?'_ Liara thought.

She was able to use the binoculars to see who was coming out of the ships. She quickly dropped the binoculars and ran back into the mine. She knew there was no way she could handle a force like that and the planet's surface was too hostile to make an escape over the terrain.

_'Geth here? What am I going to do?' _

Once at the bottom of the elevator, she made her way towards the Prothean command panel. She activated the shields to keep intruders out. Unfortunately, there was a failsafe that trapped her inside a stasis field.

She sighed. "This really isn't my day, is it?"

With no way out, all she could hope for was someone to come help her and soon.

_'Hopefully someone notices the Geth and signals for help. Otherwise, this might be a very long stasis for me.'_

She would have pinched the bridge of her nose in exasperation if she could move. Luckily, Liara's fortune was about to take a turn for the better.

* * *

Shepard and the team were all strapped into the Mako as it was dropped from a low orbit. Kaidan was sitting in the driver's seat guiding the thrusters down to the surface. The bumpy ride lasted a few minutes until the abrupt landing.

"Any landing you can walk away from right?" Kaidan joked as he drove on towards the complex.

"You sure we can still walk?" Garrus quipped. "I might have to put in for workman's comp on this one."

"Sure and all you have to do is navigate the bureaucratic red-tape of the Alliance Medical Claims Division." Shepard added.

"On second thought, I think it's safer for my health if I stay here on this lava planet with Kaidan's expert driving." Garrus replied.

As they began moving, Joker chimed in over the comm with a status update.

"Commander, I'm picking up some strange readings. Really strange, like off the damn charts. It looks like it's coming from an underground complex a few klicks away from the drop zone."

"Then that's where we're headed." Shepard turned towards the driver's seat. "Kaidan?"

"Laying in the coordinates now sir. ETA, ten minutes out." Kaidan answered.

The Mako was winding its way through the lava flows towards the complex when suddenly, a Geth ship passed over head. All sorts of alarms and warnings were going off inside.

Naruto spoke up first. "I'm going to take it those noises are not a good thing."

"Geth cruiser just dropped in on us. Looks like they left a bunch of Armatures in our way." Shepard analyzed the monitor. "Williams, jump on the cannon. Garrus, man the turret."

The two acknowledged Shepard's orders and hopped into the respective gunnery positions.

"Here they come." Kaidan announced as he made the Mako leap over incoming fire.

"Keep her steady down there, LT. I can't get a straight shot." Ashley shouted from the main gun turret.

"Don't exactly want to get hit by those things, you know?" Kaidan sarcastically replied.

They were able to work out each other's patterns and weave in close enough to eliminate the Armatures. Shepard checked the sensors to see what's ahead.

"Looks like the Geth activated the turret defense system up ahead. The gate seems to be closed as well. We'll need to blast our way in on the ground and open the gate."

"Sounds like I'm up then." Naruto stretched out his neck as he stood up. "Give me 20 maybe 30 seconds."

Everyone looked at him like he was nuts except for Shepard and Ashley.

"Just don't get dead, pretty boy." Ashley mocked.

"Hey. It's me." Naruto grinned. "Keep the meter running, Alenko."

He ran out the back as the Mako moved up to take on the turrets. Naruto sprint around the cliff to a side passage and came upon a single turret. He didn't even bother with the pistol and instead unsealed his HF blade. He burst forward at the speed of sound and moved past the turret. It fell apart moments later with a clean slice right through the base.

Naruto came into the camp and found many Geth troopers guarding the area. Darting from one to another, he made quick work of the dozen or so units and made his way over to the control panel. He disabled the turrets and opened the gate to let the Mako in. As it pulled by he hopped back in through the rear hatch. The team observed the carnage he left behind.

"32 seconds." Shepard stated.

"Knew I shouldn't have gloated over that smart ass one." Naruto uttered.

Everyone just gave him a dumbfounded look.

"Keelah!" Tali whispered.

"Where did you find this guy, Shepard? I suddenly feel a bit unneeded." Garrus commented.

"Nonsense. We always need the comic relief around." Naruto retorted.

"I really like this guy." Wrex chuckled.

They continued fighting off Geth for another ten minutes or so up the trail towards the complex when they came upon a rock slide.

"Can you take us over it, Lieutenant?" Shepard asked Kaidan.

"Negative, Commander. Lava flows on each side make it too dangerous to try. If we slipped into one of them, it'd be game over for us." Kaidan explained.

"Alright. Looks like we're walking from here. Williams, Uzumaki, take point. Garrus, Wrex, cover our six. Tali stay with Kaidan here in the Mako and monitor the sensors. I want you to patch in through the comm with anything you feel could be helpful about the Geth." Shepard ordered. "Let's go."

The team moved up through the canyon fighting off numerous Geth troopers along the way. Each of them was working as a fairly cohesive unit for only being together for a few days. Ashley and Naruto moved well as a team setting each other up for kills. Garrus picked off snipers from afar before they became any trouble and Wrex covered Garrus from any stray troopers looking to take him out. Shepard was encouraged by what he saw.

They finally came upon the facility itself. It appeared to be empty but Shepard was cautious.

"Stay alert. The Geth didn't just disappear."

As they slowly approached the entrance to the mine, something moved on one of the overhangs. Ashley swung her gun around and fired. An unusual Geth unit dropped from the scaffolding onto the ground.

"What the hell is that thing?" Ashley asked.

"Too light to be a trooper. Looks nimble too. Probably a scout of some kind." Naruto analyzed. "Hopefully it didn't signal that we were here."

As soon as he finished that sentence, a squadron of Geth dropped from above including an Armature.

"So much for that thought. Cover now!" Shepard shouted.

Everyone scrambled to avoid the heavy fire that was coming down upon them. It didn't look good.

"Yo, Shepard." Naruto called over from the other side of the crates. "Lay down some covering fire. I'll flank that thing and take it out."

"You sure?" Shepard wasn't.

"Trust me." He stated with a serious look.

"Alright, on my signal, covering fire people. Now!" Shepard announced.

Naruto all but disappeared from sight moving faster than most could track. The Geth sensors didn't seem to be able to either. Naruto moved around the fuel canisters and came in behind the behemoth. With one swift motion, he sliced two of its legs out from under it causing it to collapse. Naruto leapt into the air and brought the tip of his blade right down through the optical sensor on the head. The tank was motionless after a few seconds.

With the main obstacle removed, the rest of the team made quick work of the remaining Geth troopers.

"Nice work. Let's find the doctor and get the hell out of here." Shepard stated as they made their way up the ramp to the mines.

Once inside, Shepard broke the team up again. "Garrus and Williams, cover our exit. Wrex, Uzumaki, with me."

Ashley looked like she wanted to retort but kept her mouth shut. "Aye aye, Commander."

Shepard moved down into the mine with his two companions. At the bottom of the shaft, they had more Geth troopers waiting for them.

"These guys are like cockroaches." Naruto commented.

"Not nearly as tasty though." Wrex stated.

Once they got through the welcoming committee, they took a series of elevators to the bottom where a force field was blocking a passageway. While Shepard was pondering how there was a working force field down inside this Prothean ruin, a voice cried out to them.

"Um hello? Could somebody help me? Please?" Liara shouted from inside her stasis field.

Shepard turned and moved closer to the force field. Naruto and Wrex followed closely behind.

"Can you hear me out there? I'm trapped and need help!" She shouted again.

"I'm sorry what? You'll need to turn up the volume more." Naruto joked with a hand to his ear.

Shepard smacked him on the shoulder. "We hear you miss. We came to get you out."

"Oh thank the goddess. Listen, this thing I'm in is a Prothean Security device. I need you to get me out alright?" Liara explained. "I activated the shields to keep me safe from the Geth but I must've triggered a failsafe and now I'm trapped!"

"We'll find some way past this." Shepard stated.

"Be careful. There is a Krogan with the Geth. They've been trying to find some way past the barrier to get in here."

"You hear that, Wrex? More relatives." Naruto quipped.

"I hate family reunions." Wrex grumbled.

"Well let's find a way around this barrier to get her out of there." Shepard steered them back on task.

"Or we could just do this." Naruto jabbed Kurama into the barrier but it surprisingly sparked and bounced back. "Hmm, never did that before. I wonder what the Protheans made this with." He pondered genuinely intrigued.

"Hypothesize another time. We got work to do." Shepard ordered.

"Well we could always blast through it with that giant laser." Naruto stated the obvious.

They all turned to the giant mining laser standing right next to them. Shepard spoke up. "Let's find the controls for this thing."

Wrex had located them a bit behind the unit. "Found em, over here."

Shepard moved in to start it up.

"Ooh, wait a sec." Naruto brought his pinky to his lip. "Arm the Giant _"Laser"_. Always wanted to do that."

Shepard just rolled his eyes and fired the thing at the wall below where the shield was in place. It blasted a large hole through the structure. The whole area shook though.

"Doesn't seem very stable in here now. We better hurry." Wrex stated.

Shepard and crew made their way through the hole and up towards the stasis field that was holding Liara. She noticed them behind her finally.

"How did you get in here? I didn't think there was any way past the barrier?" She asked.

"Anything is possible with fricken lasers." Naruto excitedly stated.

_'That voice. It couldn't be.'_ Liara thought.

Shepard released the stasis field from the control panel. Liara turned around to see that her thoughts were true.

"Naruto? Is that really you?" She asked astonished by the sight.

"Been a long time, Liara. You're looking as fine as ever." He said with a grin.

"By the goddess. You haven't aged a day. You weren't lying when you told me all of that back then."

"Meh, I figured it'd be a good way to get you to have sex with me at the time but yea it was still true." Naruto replied while scratching his head.

Liara had a nostalgic smile. "Still charming as always I see."

"I'm sure you two have a lot to catch up but first can we get the hell out of here? This place isn't exactly safe now." Shepard cut in.

"Goddess yes. Forgive me. Thank you so much for getting me out of there. Whom do I have to thank?" She asked.

"My name's Shepard. Commander Sheppard."

"Shepard? I'll remember that." Liara said with a smile.

They took an elevator back up to the main entrance where they found that Ashley and Garrus had taken care of the Krogan and a bunch of Geth troopers.

"What happened here?" Shepard inquired.

Garrus turned to look. "Ah Shepard. Nothing major. Just a Krogan and his Geth minions wanting to come and kill you is all. Dispatched of them. Fairly routine. We're just that awesome."

The ceiling began collapsing all around them.

"Time to go before we all become artifacts." Naruto stated.

The team sprinted up the long tube they came in from. Just as they made it outside, the chamber collapsed behind them sealing the dig site under millions of pounds of dirt and rock.

Shepard caught his breath. "Everyone ok?"

He received an affirmative from all of them.

Satisfied with their response he contacted the Normandy. "Joker. What's your ETA?"

"Just scooped up Alenko, Tali and the Mako. I'll be there in 30 seconds." Joker answered.

The Normandy pulled up moments later to retrieve them. They made their way up the ramp and all had a moment to relax in the cargo bay.

"So, anyone up for getting drunk again tonight?" Naruto offered.

"No!" They all shouted back at him.

"Sheesh. Tough crowd this is." He recoiled playfully.

* * *

So on the biotics stuff, I know that chakra and biotics are not the same thing when going by the canon of Naruto and Mass Effect. However, for the purposes of this story, they are the same thing. So just roll with it.

Any other questions, PM me or leave me a review. Reviews are nice and I always respond to them. So try to be signed in that way I can thank you, you bastards.

On a completely unrelated topic, no one got the first chapter title. In the Garden of Eden is a reference to _Inagodadavida_ by Iron Butterfly. Legend states that the lead singer was asked one night by his fellow band mates what the name of that song was. In a drunken and doped up haze, he replied "Inagodadavida" when he meant "In the Garden of Eden." They kept the mumbled version and now live in musical lore. The song itself was pretty awesome heavy rock for the time.

Chapter two's title is still available to be solved. I'll give the answer next time if no one gets it. With that said, no one is getting where chapter 3 comes from. I'll give you a hint. It's part of a song lyric. Good luck. Get to Googling.

And remember, be cool, please review (yea it doesn't rhyme, big whoop wanna fight about it?)


	4. Future Foe Scenarios

Another new chapter within a week. I'm on a roll. This one is more of an interlude. It sets up a lot of the main plot points in later chapters. Still, after the first 3 chapters blazing by, a little time to catch our breath and regroup is not a bad thing.

Once again the chapter title is from somewhere in pop culture. While the phrase may refer to a number of things, if you've noticed the theme from the other 3, you should be able to at least look it up. Congrats to **Hartha** and **Pax-Draconix** for their excellent taste in music as they were able to determine Chapter 2 and 3's titles. Meet me in Outer Space is a line from the song _Stellar_ by Incubus. Intoxicated with the Madness is a line from the song_ Zero_ by Smashing Pumpkins. Noticing a trend here yet? Should give you a hint for chapter 4's title anyway.

And with that said, on with the show.

I still don't own Naruto or Mass Effect. I mean I own them. I have all the copies of the Mass Effect games along with all the DLC. I even bought a digital copy of ME1 just recently since my disc has been having disc read errors the last few times I've played. I've also downloaded pretty much every Naruto episode and comic there is (glutton for punishment I know). I even own a couple of the video games. But as far as commercial licensing rights, yea I'm fucked there.

* * *

Future Foe Scenarios

The steady growl of the engines drowned out all other noise as the Mako rumbled across the terrain. It was a violent, hostile planet this Edolus. Atmosphere of carbon dioxide and nitrogen made colonization impossible for humans. The nearby gas giant, Ontamalca, had a gravity well that flung objects towards its surface at sub light speeds causing constant bombardments. Overall, it was completely uninhabitable.

Shepard monitored the sensors as they were getting closer to the distress beacon that they picked up.

"So Shep, why are we here again? This seems to be a bit of a side track." Naruto spoke up.

Inside the Mako sat Naruto, Ashley and Garrus. Kaidan was up front driving. Shepard had decided to leave Wrex and Tali back on the ship as he felt they wouldn't be needed.

"Admiral Hackett said that there was a group of missing marines in the Sparta system. I think they were Admiral Kahoku's men. I figured we were already here and with the Geth activity in the cluster, we might as well check it out. Could have some more clues leading to Saren." Shepard explained.

"I guess. This place seems pretty desolate though." Naruto grumbled.

"Well there's a distress beacon ahead. Somebody was down here." Shepard stated.

"I wonder how long ago though?" Ashley added. "Those distress beacons can usually last for months. We might be finding a corpse on a planet like this."

"Still, it's a lead and we're already here. Stay ready for anything."

"Coming up on the beacon, sir." Kaidan announced.

"Take us in slow, Lieutenant." Shepard ordered.

Shepard continued to watch the monitors for anything they could see. As they made their approach, he could make out a vehicle of some kind. "Looks like we found something. Park her here, Alenko. Keep the engines running though. We may need to get out of here quick. Williams, Naruto, Garrus helmets on, we're checking it out."

Ashley popped her helmet into place and made sure her avenger was ready to roll. Garrus already had his armor ready as he wore it most of the time. Naruto had to borrow one of the enviro-suits. It wasn't really his style but he also couldn't breathe carbon dioxide despite his amazing healing factor. He was wearing a skin tight, blue suit that wasn't leaving very much to the imagination.

"You guys have this stuff just lying around or did you find the most ridiculous looking one just to f' with me?" Naruto questioned.

Shepard and Ashley just grinned. "All standard issue gear, Uzumaki."

"I thought you were just trying to show off your figure, Naruto. Maybe catch the attention of the locals." Garrus added.

"Right. Looks like I'll be shopping for some light armor next chance we get. I won't be caught dead in this thing anymore." Naruto knew a good prank when he saw one. "By the way, you don't know what you just started pranking the all time prank king."

The gleam in his eye caused Ashley and Shepard to pause for a moment before they got back to the business at hand.

Kaidan opened up the rear hatch and the four of them filed out. All of them were on guard with their weapons at the ready as they approached the damaged tank. They could see bodies lying on the ground.

"Shepard. Looks like we found the marines." Ashley stated as she walked over to them.

"Yea but what killed them?" Garrus asked.

"Something doesn't feel right here. I'm sensing something... OH SHIT! RUN!" Naruto suddenly shouted.

Shepard and the others were about to ask when the whole area shook. Bursting through the ground only 100 meters away was a Thresher Maw. Its roar created a shockwave that nearly knocked them over.

They were all moving steadily away from it when Shepard caught up to Naruto. "Any special skills you have to deal with Thresher Maws?"

"Yea, run like hell!" Naruto bravely stated.

"Back to the Mako!" Shouted Shepard. "Alenko?"

"On it, Commander. I'm coming in hot. Back door will be open." Kaidan answered.

"Phrasing, Kaidan." Naruto managed to add despite running for his life.

The Mako pulled up in time to grab all four of them. Kaidan sped out of range for the moment as the maw disappeared underground. Ashley quickly made her way up to the cannon with Garrus manning the turret again.

"Can we go home now?" Naruto whined.

"No. We have to get the data from that beacon. This was a trap and we need to know who set it." Shepard ordered.

"Alright fine." Naruto sighed. "Let me back out there."

"What? Are you nuts? We just got away from that thing!" Ashley exclaimed.

"If we're going to get that data, we need to kill it. Having two targets will give us a better shot. I'm faster and can distract it while the Mako nails it with the cannon. So don't miss, Ms. Gunny." Naruto explained.

"Crazy plan but sound strategy." Garrus offered.

"I prefer eccentric." Naruto replied.

"Alright. Make your move but don't do anything stupid out there." Shepard ordered.

"No promises." Naruto said as he exited the vehicle again.

He began a slow jog back towards the downed tank. He kept his senses open to feel where the Thresher Maw went. "Here threshy, threshy, threshy." He unsealed _Kurama_ to get ready for the stupid idea he had. "No guts no glory, right?"

"Just make sure we aren't carrying your guts home, Uzumaki." Shepard said over the comm.

Naruto cut his retort short as he felt the incoming worm. He dodged quickly to the left as it burst through the ground.

"Hello, ugly."

He began a wind jutsu just as the maw spit acid at him. Naruto fired A_tsugi, _a strong wall of wind, back at the acid to return it from where it came. The blast of air also knocked the maw over.

"Now would be a good time, Ash." Naruto said over his comm.

The Mako cannon fired off a shot directly in the Thresher Maw's face. It roared in pain. Garrus continued the pressure from the mini-gun as it began to chip away at the tenacious armor that was its skin. Another blast came from the cannon again a few moments later that took a chunk out of the giant worm but it still wasn't down. It dove back under the ground to regroup.

"Stay alert. I can feel it moving towards your position. Don't stop, Kaidan." Naruto shouted.

The Mako made evasive maneuvers as Kaidan used the thrusters to burst out of the way. Just in the nick of time too as the worm burst through the ground right where they were.

Naruto was on top of it in a second though firing another _Atsugi_ to stagger it back. "Hit it again, Ash."

Another cannon blast landed square in its head causing it to explode. Guts and bits of carcass began raining down on the landscape. Some of it covered Naruto. He just stood there dripping entrails off of him.

"Did I mention how much I hate this planet?" Naruto stated thoroughly disgusted.

"Well you better get back inside. That acid will eat through the suit pretty quickly." Shepard said while holding in a laugh at the situation. "Now that it's dead, Williams, Garrus and I will check out the data."

"Yea. I get first dibs on the shower when we get back. I will literally beat you with your own arms if you say otherwise." Naruto threatened.

Shepard just chuckled. "I'll see what I can do."

* * *

The data from the distress beacon wasn't as helpful as Shepard would have liked. He had Tali take a look at it and it was definitely tampered with but no idea on whom or what could have done it.

Shepard sighed. He now had to tell Admiral Kahoku about his men with no explanation as to whom or what did this. He typed in the number Hackett gave him on the terminal in his quarters. The vid screen rang a few times before someone picked up.

_"This is Admiral Kahoku."_

"Admiral, this is Commander Shepard."

_"Ah Commander. I heard about your acceptance as a Spectre. You're doing humanity proud." _Kahoku cordially greeted.

"Thank you, sir." Shepard uncomfortably replied.

_"So what can I do for you today, Commander?"_

Shepard didn't mince words. "It's about your missing men, Admiral. I found them. They're dead."

_"What?! How could this be? What happened?" _Kahoku was visibly upset.

"They were answering a distress beacon on the planet Edolus. It was right next to a thresher maw nest." Shepard explained.

_"Thresher Maw? There's no way they would have fallen to something like that?"_

"I believe it was a trap sir. Someone placed the beacon so that they would land right on top of it. Whoever it was lured them in."

_"Bastards! I didn't think they'd go this far."_ Kahoku muttered to himself.

Shepard raised his eyebrow. "Who, sir?"

_"Nothing, no one. Thank you, Commander. I at least know what happened to them. Now I have something to tell their families." _Kahoku despondently replied.

"If you're caught up in something, Admiral, I may be able to help you. Being a Spectre now, I don't always have to follow Alliance protocols." Shepard offered trying to get more out of him.

_"I appreciate the offer, Commander. I'll let you know if there's anything you can do. Right now I have to take care of this on my own though. Thank you again. Kahoku out."_ The connection ended.

Shepard pondered what that was all about. _'He's definitely hiding something. I don't think it has anything to do with Saren but I wish I knew more. I need to start building more contacts for information. Being in the dark as a Spectre isn't going to cut it.'_

He cleared his mind of the situation and made his way out of his quarters into the mess hall. He decided lunch was in order. As he moved over to the small kitchen area, he noticed Kaiden diligently cooking away at something.

"Whatcha making there, Alenko?"

"Well _making_ wouldn't technically be the right term. I was salvaging some eggs that I managed to burn beyond all recognition." Kaiden explained.

"Should we notify next of kin?" Shepard quipped.

"Nah, they'll get there's tomorrow probably. So what's on your mind, Commander." Alenko asked.

"Just informed Kahoku of his men. Something didn't seem right with him though. Like he knew who did it." Shepard said.

Kaidan shrugged. "Well nothing you can do about it now right? We have bigger fish to fry."

"Or eggs to burn but you're probably right. We need to get back on Saren's trail in any case." Shepard then changed the subject. "So has Naruto talked to you at all yet?"

Kaidan seemed to liven up at that. "Yes he has. The things he knows are unbelievable. I've learned more about my biotics, or umm... chakra is what he calls it, in the last few days than I have in my whole life. Plus with the meditation techniques that he's showing me, I hardly have any headaches anymore. It's amazing no one knew how to do this before."

Shepard nodded. "I think he's a special case."

"Yea. He said he's a lot older than us. I can't see how with the way he looks but his knowledge and abilities are astounding. I'm inclined to just believe him at this point."

"So... you think we can trust him?" Shepard was curious how his crew felt about Naruto.

"Well I'm always a bit leery of people in general but there's just something about the guy. I feel like he's a good person. I can't explain it but yea, I would say I can trust him." Kaidan stated.

"Good to note." Shepard then steered things back again. "So any opinions on our missions so far?"

"Well Dr. T'Soni is certainly a fine addition to the team. Not hard on the eyes either but honestly I've never met an ugly Asari." Kaidan joked.

Shepard just chuckled. "Don't let the female members of the crew hear that or you might be in for a dry spell."

Kaidan quickly looked around to make sure. None seemed to be in the vicinity. "Good thinking, Commander. Can't ruin my rep just when I was getting in good with a lot of them."

Shepard just smiled.

"Still, she seems pretty intelligent from our debriefing and I guess Naruto knows her so I'd say she's going to work out ok. How was it when she went through your head?" Kaidan asked.

Kaidan was referring to the debriefing. Liara had melded her mind with Shepard's to see the vision that the Prothean beacon had given him. She was able to offer new insight on what it may have been.

"It was... interesting to say the least. Not entirely unpleasant but... weird would be the word." Shepard tried to explain.

"Well you got an in with her now. Just ask her if she wants to see the beacon again in your quarters and she'll follow you right in." Kaidan grinned.

"I think you're spending a little too much time with Naruto, Alenko." Shepard chuckled.

Kaidan just shrugged. "You gotta admit he's doing something right. All these supposedly tough women on the ship giggle when he smiles at them. Seriously, marine chicks giggling. Maybe I have more to learn from him then just biotic training."

Shepard shook his head with a smile. "I'll talk to you later, Alenko. Stay out of trouble."

With that, Shepard made his way towards the elevator. He still hadn't had a decent conversation with Wrex or Garrus yet. With some time available before they made it to Feros, he figured he'd try to get that in.

* * *

Naruto stepped out of the shower and began drying himself off. The Normandy being a smaller vessel compared to most Alliance craft only had two showers to use. They were co-ed and located in the main bunks. He wrapped the towel around his midsection when he heard a knock on the stall door.

"Yea, yea, I'll be done in a minute." He gathered up his things and made his way to the door. He didn't bother to get dressed when he opened it.

Ashley had a shocked looked on her face as she took in the sight of the slightly wet Naruto with nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist. Droplets fell from his messy locks down onto his incredibly fine physique. Rippling pectorals flowed down into washboard abdominals down into...

"Can I help you, gunny?" Naruto said with a grin.

Ashley stuttered as she tried to regain her composure. "I- I was just w-waiting to use the... umm... shower." She had planned to get another shot in on him about the thresher maw but all rational thought escaped her when he opened the door to the stall.

"Well if you need any help washing your back, I'm still ready to go." He winked.

She finally shook herself from her stupor. "Whatever. I can handle myself just fine."

"Yea but it's no fun with just one. Sometimes you need a little push." He insinuated.

"What? No I'm not going to be doing that in there!" She shouted mortified by his implications.

Naruto just deadpanned. "Well where else would you do it? Not a lot of privacy on a boat this size."

"Arrgh! Just go away! Now!" She shoved him out of the way as she quickly entered the stall and closed it behind her.

Naruto knocked on the door to which she quickly opened. "What?!"

"You forgot your loofah." He said while holding out the pink, cleansing sponge.

She snapped it out of his hands and slammed the door in his face.

Naruto just laughed. _'Good enough prank for today. Now I'll have to think of something for Shepard.'_

Naruto finished drying off as he made his way over to the bunk he commandeered for himself. As he was grabbing some clothes from his duffel bag, he noticed the single three-pronged kunai he kept. He pulled out the ancient piece of metal and thumbed over it nostalgically. Naruto knew full well that he couldn't perform the _Hiraishin_ anymore without severely taxing his body.

_'Price you pay to keep a demon at bay I guess. I couldn't just let it ravage an unsuspecting Earth. It wouldn't have been like Kurama. There'd have been nothing left if I hadn't done what I did.' _Naruto thought about his past choices.

He placed the kunai back into his pack and finished getting dressed. Once he was done, he pondered what to do next. They were on their way to Feros but wouldn't arrive for another day yet.

_'Could always get reacquainted with my lovely colleague.'_ Naruto grinned.

He decided having a chat with Liara would be a good use of his time. He set out to find where she was holed up. Asking a few of the crewmen he was able to learn that she was in a storage room behind the medical bay.

_'Still shy as always, eh Liara?'_ Naruto thought as he made his way there.

He entered the medical bay and was greeted by the doctor.

"Ah, Mr. Uzumaki. What can I do for you?" Dr. Chakwas greeted cordially.

"Nothing today doc. Just need you to keep things sexy in here the way you do." He said with a sly grin.

She had grown used to his flattery in the week or so he had been on board. Despite the fact that she was older, she prided herself on staying fit. It was nice for someone to take notice once in awhile. After all she was still a woman.

"Flattery will get you everywhere, Uzumaki." She jested.

"Everywhere you say? Tempting offer. Rain check?"

She couldn't help but blush at his innuendo. "Sigh, if only I were 20 years younger."

"Age ain't nothing but a number, doc." He said with a wink.

"You are the worst." She said with a laugh as she playfully slapped him on the shoulder.

"I know, but I'm actually here to talk to the stow-away in your closet."

"Ah, well head right in then." Chakwas stated as she head back to her lab station.

Naruto made his way into the storage room and found Liara working diligently at her terminal. She noticed his presence immediately and turned to greet him with a smile.

"It's good to see you again, Naruto."

"Likewise. We didn't really get a chance to catch up down on Therum. How've you been?" He started.

"Pretty much the same as last time. Taking on different Prothean digs. Trying to find funding for others. A pretty mundane life until the Geth arrived."

"Yea they have a way of spicing things up don't they."

"So how did you come to be on the Normandy? This doesn't seem like something you'd normally do?" She inquired.

"Pretty similar to you actually. I uncovered that Prothean beacon on Eden Prime when the Geth attacked. I helped fight them off and then tagged along to make sure Saren was caught."

She nodded and wanted to ask him about more personal things but didn't know how to approach the subject. He saved her the trouble.

"So… find a boyfriend yet?" He winked.

She wasn't as uncomfortable as he thought she'd be about it. "Not yet. I haven't really had the time with my work. That hasn't stopped some of the more... ambitious suitors from trying though."

"Well at least I'm not the only one that struck out then." He chuckled.

"Don't get me wrong, Naruto. You are charming and brilliant. You're the only one I've met that's ever held a decent conversation about Prothean history." She praised.

"And you're the only one that's given me a decent spar in the last few centuries." He grinned.

"Come now. I'm not that formidable an opponent."

"I don't think you have any idea the kind of punch you pack when you're all riled up."

She just smiled. "But romance isn't exactly in the stars right now for me. My work is too important. That and the idea of dating someone older than my mother at the time was intimidating."

"At the time? So you're saying there's a chance." Naruto joked.

Liara just giggled at his antics. She then remembered some of the details he had told her all those years ago. "Is the… is it still contained?"

Naruto's grin fell. "I'm not sure. This whole business about Reapers might have awoken it. I don't think it likes the idea of something bigger and badder coming along. Right now I've only been having dreams. I still can't tell if they're memories or visions."

"I know you said that was one of the most troublesome experiences you've ever faced." She sympathized.

"That's the understatement of the millennia. Let's just say, I hope I don't have to fight it again anywhere populated like the Citadel. If I feel it coming on, I'll make a b-line for some back water planet out in the Terminus."

"I trust you, Naruto. You would never do anything to endanger those you care about. I hope you are able to trust me the same way. This crew as well. The commander is an honorable man if not sometimes driven in his methods." Liara spoke with heartfelt emotion.

"You got all that from your mind meld with him?" Naruto raised his eyebrow.

"Among other things." Liara blushed. "The Commander is an intense and passionate man it seems. I would like to get to know him better."

"I'll bet you would." Naruto just smirked. "Anyway, I'm working on it, Li. It's been so long since I could accept anyone. These are good people here though. I don't want them bearing any more burdens than what is already on their plate." He sighed.

Liara leaned in and gave him a reassuring hug. "Even if you say you don't accept me, you've already shown enough faith in me to reveal your greatest secret. I will be with you until the end if you need me."

"Thanks, Li. It really does mean a lot to hear you say that." Naruto graciously replied. "So this whole thing with your mom, seems a little unusual don't you think?"

"Yes. It is definitely not like her." Liara said with a downtrodden sigh. "I haven't spoken to her in years but I know her and she would not willingly join up with someone like Saren unless she thought it was for a greater good."

"It doesn't look good though. I hope you're ready for anything if we run into her."

"I would like to think I am but how can one confront their mother and hold her accountable for these types of crimes?" Liara shook her head.

"I have your back and I know Shepard will too." Naruto reassured her.

"Thank you." Liara replied sincerely.

"Well, I guess I'll get out of your hair then… so to speak."

She smiled. "You always had a way with words."

He smirked. "Some might say I'm a cunning..."

"Don't finish that." Liara shook her head.

"It's a blessing and a curse." He shrugged as he walked away.

* * *

This was an entirely new experience for Garrus. He finally felt like he was doing something to stop a criminal instead of just documenting what they did after the fact. He was part of a team who was acting instead of filling out paperwork. It was a refreshing feeling. Garrus also enjoyed space flight. He hadn't been a part of a proper crew since his Turian military days. The hum of an engine and the swell of the bulkhead were comforting to him. He can't even remember why he took that C-Sec job all those years ago.

_'Doesn't really matter now. I'm finally somewhere that I can make a difference.'_ He thought.

He had managed to secure himself a nice spot in the cargo hold out of the way from the crew and their daily tasks. It wasn't ideal but he had a comfortable cot and an area to maintain his weapons. There wasn't much more that he could ask for.

As he was busy calibrating his sniper rifle, he noticed the Commander making his way over to him from the elevator.

"Commander." Garrus greeted him.

"Garrus. How's everything going?" Shepard inquired.

"Pretty good actually. I just want to thank you again for bringing me on board. Working with a Spectre is so much more satisfying than life at C-Sec."

"Yea I'll bet. Even before I was a Spectre, the Alliance usually gave me a lot of leeway in how I handled missions but nothing compared to the freedom of being a Spectre. I can't imagine working for some bureaucracy." Shepard offered.

"You have no idea. I can't even remember why I joined now. I thought that I would be doing the most good there. Stopping criminals, bringing people to justice, that sort of thing. Turns out all I did was file paperwork and watch all the people around me find ways to skirt the system for their own gain." Garrus explained.

"So why did you stay so long?" Shepard asked.

"I don't know. Probably my father. He was an old fashioned, hard-ass for following the rules. He was one of the best C-Sec officers ever to join the force. I guess it was just some misguided attempt to make him proud that I stuck to it. But I wasn't accomplishing anything. For every criminal I arrested, two more would go free on technicalities or some higher connection. I'm glad you came along when you did. Not sure what I would have done."

"You could have always tried out for the Spectres." Shepard offered.

"I actually was recruited way back when but my father talked me out of it. He despises the Spectres. Hates the thought of someone having that much power and unaccountability."

"It is an intimidating idea with a lot of room for abuse." Shepard admitted.

"Yes as Saren proved. But the only way to stop Saren is to play by his rules. You can't have your hands tied by red tape if you expect to catch up to someone like him." Garrus stated.

"Trust me, I don't intend to pull any punches in catching him. That comes with being in command. You have to make the hard decisions when they come along. It's not always going to be sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes you're going to have to choose between bad and worse in order to get the job done." Shepard steadfastly reasoned.

"Good to hear, Commander. I knew following you was the right decision. Anyway, let me get back to my calibrations so I'm ready when we reach Feros."

"Talk to you later, Garrus."

Shepard let the Turian get back to his work. He made his way to the other side of the cargo bay to where Wrex was sitting on some crates.

Wrex was catching a nap in between cleaning his armor and modifying his guns. Life as a mercenary had made his transition to a part of the team pretty easy. The Council was paying for him to stay on board at Shepard's request and he was ok with that. Any job will do and the Commander was an easy man to work for compared to some of his past employers. Something about the guy made Wrex stick around. He already had a motley band of misfits that he recruited what with a Quarian, a Turian, an Asari and a crazy-ass human. Wrex couldn't let the Krogan sit out of this party. While he was contemplating this, Wrex sensed someone approaching and peaked his eye open to see.

"Shepard." Greeted Wrex.

"Wrex. Settling in ok?" The Commander began.

"I've been in worse. This ship's actually pretty nice compared to most. So, what can I do for ya?" Wrex asked.

Shepard wondered how best to begin. He figured he'd just be blunt with Wrex since that seemed to be his preferred approach. "So what's your story?"

"There's no _"story."_ Go ask the Quarian if you want stories." Wrex grumbled.

Shepard was undeterred. "Come on, you've lived for centuries. I'm sure you have a few good tales."

"Well there was this one time the Turians and Salarians almost killed my entire race. That was fun." Wrex replied sarcastically.

"Yea, I heard about that. The Genophage right? You know the Turians almost did the same to us." Shepard replied.

"It's not the same."

Shepard shrugged. "Seems pretty much the same to me."

"So your people were infected with a mutation that causes only 1 in 1000 to survive child birth and is systematically destroying your entire species?" Wrex incredulously asked.

Shepard felt a bit embarrassed having not fully understood the Genophage. "Alright so maybe it's not the same."

"I don't expect you to understand but don't compare humanity's fate with the Krogan." Wrex calmly stated.

"I can respect that. So why don't your people try to find a cure for it?"

"When was the last time you saw a Krogan scientist?" Wrex shook his head. "My people are warriors. When asked if they'd rather have a cure for the Genophage or fight for credits, they'll choose fighting every time. I gave up on them a long time ago."

Shepard could see that this really did bother Wrex despite him trying to play it off. He'd have to ask him about it again some other time. Right now though a change in topics was probably a good idea.

"So what do you think of our mission?" Shepard asked.

"As long as I get paid, I'll go along with whatever you want. Plus a chance to stop a guy like Saren is always a bonus in my book."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at that. "You've had a run in with him before?"

"Probably about 10 to 12 years ago, a bunch of mercs were bragging about a job out near the edge of the Terminus systems. They said it paid well and the boss was never around to ride them. He was apparently looking for more men so I hired on. Seemed like an easy gig." Wrex explained.

"So what happened?" Shepard was interested in hearing this.

"We'd been raiding ships for months when we took out this massive cargo freighter. Our biggest haul yet. It was a Volus trading vessel, a big one. There were lots of guards but they were no match for us. The cargo seemed pretty basic. Some medical supplies and food. Maybe a couple of guns but nothing major. I was onboard checking bodies for valuables. Looking for some extra credits. That's when I saw him."

"What did Saren want?"

"No idea. He was just moving through the ship. Watching everyone. A couple of the mercs called him by name but he never spoke to any of us. It gave me a really bad feeling. He had a vibe that just screamed scumbag. I got the hell out of there. Didn't even wait to get paid."

"So you never saw him any other time?" Shepard asked.

"Yea, didn't even know who he was at the time. My instincts were right though. Every other merc on that mission, turned up dead within a week. Every damn one."

"Well I hope your instincts are just as sharp on our mission. They saved your life there." Shepard analyzed.

"Hard to pass up the credits being offered there but yea, I usually trust my instincts more than my paycheck. Kept me alive this long." Wrex boasted.

"I guess that's enough for now. Be ready to go once we reach Feros." Shepard stated.

Wrex just nodded. "Shepard."

As the Commander was walking away, he contemplated his two, new team members. _'Both are definitely good in a fight. They seem like they have some personal issues though. As long as it doesn't affect the mission I guess it doesn't matter. I'll just have to keep an eye on them.'_

He made his way down the corridor towards engineering. He wanted to have another conversation with Tali to make sure life away from her fleet was going ok for her. _'Poor young thing probably gets lonely out here. I just wouldn't be a good commander if I didn't make her feel comfortable.'_ He thought about the way that sounded. _'Damn now I'm starting to sound like Naruto.'_

Shepard shook his head and continued on into Engineering. He noticed Adams chatting away with the young, female Quarian. As he approached her, he couldn't help but admire her figure. The mystery behind what was under her suit seemed to add to the allure. He shook these thoughts from his mind as they noticed his arrival.

"Commander." Adams greeted. "What can I do for you?"

"How's the ship looking, Adams? All systems go?" Shepard inquired.

"Better than new. Tali here has made some incredible improvements. I'd say we could probably get .6 above red line on the FTL drives now and still maintain safe parameters." Adams praised Tali.

If she wasn't wearing the suit, you would notice the blush that Tali was sporting. "It was nothing really. I just did what I could."

Shepard chimed in. "Don't sell yourself short, Tali. You're a fine asset to have on my team. I'm glad you're here."

If anything, that made her more bashful. "Thank you, Shepard."

"Well I have some work to get back to. Let me know if you need me, Commander." Adams stated as he moved back over to his terminal.

Shepard turned back to Tali. "So is everything still going ok for you on the Normandy?"

Tali recovered from her embarrassment and sighed. "I don't know. Your ship is amazing and your crew has been really great to me, especially your chief engineer. But I just sort of feel out of place."

"Nonsense. You've been a tremendous help both here in engineering and down on the ground. You got more out of that distress beacon's memory core than even my top specialists on board could. Don't think for a moment that you don't deserve to be here." Shepard encouraged her.

"I appreciate that. It's just that... I guess I might be a little homesick. The Normandy's engines run so quiet and smooth that I have trouble sleeping. How do you sleep at night?" She admitted.

Shepard raised his eyebrow. "It's too quiet to sleep?"

"Well back in the flotilla, if things were quiet, it meant something was broken. I guess that's not a concern here. Old habits die hard I suppose." She said as she rubbed her arm.

Shepard could empathize with that. "It's hard to let go of routines. Change can be good sometimes though. It offers new ideas. Different paths to take that you may not have thought of before."

"That's true. I suppose I just miss being home a little bit as well. Before, all I could think about was getting away and going on an adventure. Now that I'm here, I kind of miss home."

"Sometimes you don't know what you have til it's gone." Shepard sagely offered.

"You may be right. Perhaps that's what the pilgrimage is all about." Tali pondered.

"Well, if you're ever feeling lonely, my door is always open." Shepard offered with a grin.

Tali was once again glad that her suit hid her complexion. The ideas running in her head from what he might have meant by those words had her fully flushed. "I-I will keep that in mind, Shepard. Thank you."

* * *

Up in the cockpit, Naruto was regaling Joker with one of his many stories.

"...and that's when I bought the horse a prostitute." Naruto ended his joke.

Joker was cracking up. "I love this guy."

After they had both calmed down, Naruto continued the conversation. "So how's life on this tub treating you?"

Joker took mock offense. "Hey watch what you call my girl. And life around here ain't too bad. I'm on the most advanced ship in Citadel Space with one of the best Commanders of the Alliance who now happens to be a Spectre. What more could the best pilot in the galaxy ask for?" He boasted.

"You don't lack for confidence. I like that." Naruto smiled.

"Well I kind of had to develop an egotistical personality to make up for my lack of physical prowess. I was born to fly but Vrolik's Syndrome has a way of making you realize how small and insignificant you are in this galaxy. So I had two ways to go. I could use my condition as an excuse and just sit in a wheel chair for the rest of my life or become the cockiest, most bad ass pilot this universe has ever seen. I chose the latter and shoved it in the face of everyone who doubted me along the way."

Naruto chuckled at that. "I like your style, Joker. When I was younger, I liked to make sure people noticed my accomplishments in the flashiest way possible. Something ain't worth doing unless it's done with flare." He said while motioning his hands in dramatic fashion.

Joker had a laugh at that. "So what's your story? They aren't offering archaeologist slash samurai as a career path in universities now are they?"

"I prefer ninja. Samurai are too uptight." Naruto said with a straight face.

Joker just raised an eyebrow.

"Nevermind. No I'm not the college type of guy anyway. The co-eds were fun but the sitting in a classroom falling asleep thing was not my fondest way of passing time. I'm just your average bad ass archaeologist extraordinaire looking for adventures throughout the cosmos. Most of the time though, I just dig up some old relics and try to decipher what secrets they hold. It's actually quite entertaining."

"Well either way, I'm glad you're on our side with the moves you pull off. That's some of the craziest stuff I've ever seen anyone try."

"Well much like you and flying, Joker, I too am the best at what I do. I literally am the best human biotic that has ever lived and probably will ever live." Naruto said without a hint of boasting. He was just stating a fact.

"Then why archaeology? Why not join the Alliance and fight to defend humanity?" Joker asked seriously.

"I'm... complicated. Trust me when I say that being a part of any military would do a lot more harm than good for everyone. I try to keep a low profile most of the time because people ask questions when they see someone like me. They like to have things under control and I disrupt that control. When they can't control something, they usually try to make sure no one else can. That's why I stay off the grid for the most part. Let history carry on without me. But this Saren business is different. These Reapers are no joke. I'm not sure what they are fully capable of but they seem like pretty powerful weapons. We can't let Saren get a hold of them."

"Yea, no kidding." Joker somberly replied.

"But enough about that. It was good meeting you, Joker." Naruto waved.

"Take it easy, Naruto. Any time you want to shoot the shit, just drop by. I can't really go anywhere you know with legs as brittle as paper mache and all."

"Will do."

With that Naruto made his way back out to the command area. On his way out of the bridge tunnel, he saw Shepard coming towards him.

"How's it going, Shep?"

"Just making the rounds. We'll reach Feros in about 12 hours. You ready to go?"

"I'll probably catch a nap then." Naruto said as he stretched out his neck. "So who'd you talk to?"

"Kaidan, Garrus, Wrex and Tali. Thanks again for speaking with Kaidan. I can see a drastic change in his demeanor just from the short time you've worked with him."

Naruto shook it off. "It was nothing. So you haven't had a one on one with Liara yet? Too bad, I think she might like that." He smirked at Shepard.

"I thought you two had some history." Shepard asked.

"We're friends but we never did anything together." Naruto shrugged.

"Wait, I thought you said you had sex." Shepard was confused.

"I said I tried. I never said she agreed." Naruto grinned. "She's a good girl and she has a lot of insight that could help our situation. So for whatever reason, it'd be good to talk to her." He said while waggling his eye brows.

"I'll keep that in mind." Shepard said has he rolled his.

"Well I'm just trying to help out. You seem a little stressed. It's not good to be dealing with galaxy threatening peril and not have an outlet once in awhile. What about Tali? You into corrupting naive young damsels?"

"What?! No!" Shepard quickly denied.

"Come on. You haven't even thought of it? The way her suit hugs her curves in all the right places." Naruto pressed on trying to get a reaction from him.

Shepard fought down the urge to blush because the thoughts had come to his mind once or twice since he's met her. He was a man after all. "Not in the slightest."

Naruto shrugged. "Whatever you say, Shep. I guess I'll get my stuff together. I'll be in the bunks if you need me."

Shepard took a breath now that the conversation was over. Naruto suddenly called back to him. "Oh and don't think you're off the hook for a prank. Since you didn't embarrass as easy as Ash, I'm going to have to pull out some heavy artillery." He said with a sadistic grin.

_'Why did I bring him along again?'_ Shepard asked himself.

Shepard continued on to the galaxy map. He needed to make a few more preparations before the crew landed on Feros.

_'Hopefully we find something more to go on there. We still have no trace of where Saren is. I just hope time isn't running out.'_

* * *

In a room with a large glass window, the red giant star Anadius casts a glow across the floor. Sitting in a singular metal chair was a man smoking a cigarette. He didn't have any distinguishing qualities other than his steely blue prosthetic eyes. He is known only as the Illusive Man. Currently he was speaking to a hologram of one of his subordinates.

"The situation with Admiral Kahoku has become... complicated." The image spoke.

"How so?" The Illusive Man inquired.

Admiral Kahoku had been a helpful pawn in covering up Cerberus' break away from the Alliance. Cerberus was one of the best Alliance black ops running for several decades.

"It appears that the Admiral no longer fears our threats." The image explained.

The Admiral was an unassuming man. He was aware of the Cerberus black op but not of the intricacies involved. The Illusive Man knew that he could be approached and blackmailed with substantial offers of monetary gain or threats of bodily harm to his family. He put Kai Leng on the job because he was ruthlessly effective. The threat would appear very real. Kahoku had done his job in covering up their disappearance but a month ago he began having second thoughts. This hit of conscience caused Leng to carry out his threat on the marines under Kahoku's command. He had staged it in such a way that it would appear accidental but Kahoku would get the message. Unfortunately, Kahoku got the message and instead of cowering back into the corner, he's been on the rampage.

"Yes. I know. I'm receiving reports that one of our old bases has been raided in the last day. It looks to be an unauthorized strike as well. Despite it being scrubbed, he could get dangerously close to finding out where the new ones are." He was not pleased.

Leng did not appear to be concerned in the hologram. "How should I proceed?"

The Illusive Man took a drag from his cigarette and began speaking. "You're one of my best operatives, Leng. That's why I've allowed you a lot of autonomy when performing your tasks. However, I feel the way you handled this Kahoku situation was a mistake. If you truly knew the man, you would have understood that killing his soldiers was not going to keep him in line. Now we have bigger problems. Kahoku knows too much and he is no longer easily controlled. I trust you to do what must be done."

The hologram of Kai Leng answered. "It will be done sir."

The image then faded out.

The Illusive Man had built Cerberus from the ground up with the sole intent purpose of advancing humanity and defending it against any and all enemies no matter the cost. At the time, it was to fight off foes like the Turians and Batarians. However, in the last year, he had caught wind of something much more terrifying.

_'I can't have Kahoku interfering with my research on the Reapers. We know so little and who knows how much time we have until they come.' _

With what little he knew about the Reapers, the Illusive Man began making plans to help defend humanity against whatever threat they may pose. In order to do this though, he needed to be free from Alliance oversight.

_'It was all a front anyway. We never answered to those idiots. They'd guide humanity into ruin if I let them.'_

He managed to devise a plan that allowed his entire division to slip away from the Alliance unnoticed. He had secured independent funding through many sources, both legal and otherwise, in Citadel and Terminus space over the many years of his leadership. He had established many different bases scattered throughout the galaxy to work on separate projects over the last year. Some to improve weaponry, others to research the Reaper threat and still others just to see what crazy advances they could come up with without restrictions from safety protocols. He had everything set to go and perform his disappearing act but he needed at least one high up official to cover his tracks.

_'Kahoku is a loose cannon now. It's a shame. He could have been a useful ally but he needs to be removed.'_ Illusive Man thought.

He stared out at the star and contemplated all the moves he's made to get this far.

_'There's no one out there that is willing to make the sacrifices necessary to protect humanity except me. I'm the only hope we have to our salvation.'_

As crazy as it sounded, he just may be right.

* * *

Some decent setup for much later. I felt Cerberus didn't really get its due in ME1. They were just kind of there and then the writers for ME2 turned them into so much more. I'm hoping to provide a little more insight into their motives and goals. Illusive Man is a damn cool character that got pretty undercut in ME3 I felt. So I'll try to do him a better justice. Will be a long ways to go for that though.

Next time, we're off to see the Thorian. The wonderful Thorian of Feros. Till then, review you bastards. I'm dying over here.


	5. A Certain Shade of Green, Part 1

Still under a week, just barely though. Took a bit to get this one done and work dropped a couple of new projects on me so it was slightly delayed from the norm. No matter, the new chapter is here.

No one got chapter 4's title so I'll leave it out there for anyone that wants to guess. Chapter 5 and 6 will have the same title since they both take place on Feros. Again, it's taken from a musical reference. Impress me with your knowledge.

I still don't own Naruto or Mass Effect. Nothing clever this time though.

7/25/13 - Changed the Thorian speaking parts to **Bold. **

* * *

A Certain Shade of Green, Part 1

_Days Earlier_

Saren was a patient turian. He can be rather crude and somewhat unsavory in his methods but no one ever accused him of being impatient. His plans were often meticulously crafted and painstakingly executed in order to achieve the goal he set out for. This was, after all, one of the main qualities that led him to become the Council's top agent in the Spectres.

His current schemes reflect this patience well. It was only after a decade's worth of searching that he was able to discover the ship he was using.

'_Dr. Qian's research was invaluable in finding Sovereign. Without it, I wouldn't be this close to my dream.'_

Contrary to what David Anderson or any other humans think though, Saren was not out to destroy humanity. He was seeking a way to unite all races.

'_With this ship, I will be able to bring ever lasting peace to the galaxy.'_

Yet he didn't always think this way. It wasn't long ago that humanity's destruction was his sole purpose. He sought out this weapon using the stolen research in an effort to end humanity. Slowly over time though, his ideals changed.

'_I do remember that time. It's becoming harder and harder to think back to then.'_ He shook his head as a growl rang through his mind. _'That was the past though. My goals… my vision has changed. I must find the Conduit. The fate of all organic life depends upon me.'_

The beacon on Eden Prime had given him the vision that the Protheans intended but it was not understandable in the language it currently was displayed in. Saren had his Geth army scouring the galaxy for any Prothean settlements they could find that might have a way to decipher the images.

'_The path to the Conduit lies within my mind. I just need the key that unlocks this data.'_

One of his Geth units had been defeated on Therum after their attempt to recover Benezia's daughter failed. Benezia had stated that she was the foremost expert on the Protheans. She would have been a valuable asset in helping to decipher the information.

'_If not for Uzumaki and this Shepard interfering, I may have been on my way to the Conduit already. They are proving to be a nuisance.' _Saren thought with annoyance.

He was going to have to find a way to slow them down long enough for him to complete his search.

'_Perhaps I can move up the time table for the Geth invasion. I'll have them start establishing the forward outposts in the Armstrong Cluster. That should help get the resistance going for all those who oppose my great ideal. From there, they can launch assaults that will keep Shepard chasing shadows until I find what I need.'_

As Saren was revamping his plans, Benezia walked up to his captain's chair.

"We have reports that one of the Geth scouts on Feros has found something promising." Benezia eloquently spoke.

Saren was intrigued. "What is it?"

"While the Prothean ruins offered nothing new, the information found at ExoGeni headquarters did find something quite interesting. An indigenous life form that dates all the way back to the Protheans may offer us a way to decipher the beacon's vision." She explained.

Saren strummed his chin in thought. "This is worth investigating."

"Can we afford to be seen so openly with the Council declaring you a criminal?" Benezia asked.

"It cannot be helped. This is the most promising lead we've had to go on. Inform the Geth that we will be headed to Feros in force to find this being and bargain for its knowledge." Saren ordered.

"As you wish." Benezia bowed and headed off to make the arrangements.

"Before you go, this gives me an idea. Binary Helix was working on a top secret project to revive an ancient species. I remember the details from a mission report several years ago. The specifics were sketchy though. Look into it for me. If this creature on Feros doesn't cooperate, perhaps there is another species that can." Saren stated.

Benezia did not question how or why Saren wanted this done. She simply nodded and returned to her duties. The once majestic Asari Matriarch has been reduced to a mere subordinate for Saren and even she is not sure how.

'_I… know I was supposed to do… something. I was… going to stop him… Argh!'_ Pain seared through her skull as she leaned against a bulkhead. After a moment she was fine again. _'His vision is my vision. The return of the Reapers is all that matters.'_

She continued on to the communications center to affirm Saren's orders. They were headed to Feros.

'_One step closer to the Conduit.'_

* * *

In the back of the cargo hold was the armory. Every military ship and facility had one and there was nothing overly unique about the Normandy's that made it stand out. Several lockers lined the wall for each member of the ground team to store gear between missions. The work bench was available with all the modification tools necessary to maintain and upgrade all makes and models of weaponry, armor or amps. Despite this seemingly ordinary area, Ashley Williams finds comfort in its mundane nature.

Ashley was born into a military family. Her father served. Her grandfather served before him and her great-grandfather before him. The Williams family had a rich tradition in the Alliance. Being around guns and armor was a standard thing to her since she was a little girl.

_'Not that Mom wanted to see her little girl go off to war after what Dad went through.'_

However, that isn't the main reason she finds the armory a place of solace. Ever since her first assignment, Ashley had always been able to work out her frustrations by working on her equipment. Whether they were simple thoughts like a bad mission she just finished or the more complex ones like her being blacklisted for her Grandfather's actions, or even annoying blondes and their comments, the armory brought her peace of mind. But not always.

_'And that Dumb blonde-haired pretty boy with his stupid words and his dumb blue eyes and his rippling muscles… Ah damn it! I wouldn't have even met the bastard if I hadn't been assigned to that backwater agro colony. Stupid Alliance brass and their petty retribution.'_ She thought as she slammed the gun down on the table.

_'Why does he waste his time on me anyway? It's not like I'm some awesome prize. I'm just a nobody soldier who won't make it anywhere in this military.'_ She sighed at her negative thoughts.

While she was wallowing in her self-pity, Shepard walked up to the Armory to prepare for the mission to Feros. He noticed Ashley's state of frustration.

"Something eating you, Williams?" He asked.

Ashley was startled by his arrival. "Commander! Sorry, I didn't mean to cause a raucous."

"At ease, Williams. You're fine. So tell me, what's on your mind?" He again inquired as he prepped his rifle for the mission.

Ashley made a show to appear normal. "Nothing, sir. I'm fine."

"We're about to head down on a mission that may involve a swarm of Geth. I need you to have a clear head. So please, indulge me." He insisted.

She bit her lip. "I was just letting some old frustrations get to me sir."

"Old? You sure it's not our new blonde haired team member that's getting to you?" He asked with a grin.

Ashley smirked at that. "Oh he's a pain in the ass alright but he's not my real problem."

"Ok then, what is?"

"Well it's just hard to stay positive when you know all your hard work is being ignored." She carefully began.

"Well you've only been here a little over a week and I've been impressed by you. I'm sorry if I didn't get a chance to tell you that." Shepard offered apologetically.

"No, no, you've been great so far, sir. I meant my career as a whole. I was thinking back to how I was assigned to Eden Prime in the first place."

"I'm guessing there's a story there. We have some time before we head out." Shepard indirectly offered.

Ashley was guarded but thought about letting the Commander know her concerns. _'Well he probably has my files anyway, so I'm sure he knows my family history.'_

She took a deep breath and decided to speak to him. "Well it has to do with my grandfather, General Williams, the commander of the Shanxi Garrison in the war."

Shepard suddenly realized something. "Not _the _General Williams?"

"Yes, the only human ever to surrender to an alien race." She reluctantly admitted to him.

Shepard put the pieces together quickly. "So you're being blamed for his actions?"

Ashley nodded. "There's no official blacklisting but when my dad kept getting passed over for dozens of promotions and I am continually assigned crud assignments despite my perfect service record, what else can I think?"

"You can't let that stuff get to you though, Williams. All we can control in life is what we can do with our two hands. The rest will sort itself out."

Ashley didn't seem very comforted. "I've been fighting with my two hands all my life and I feel like a forgotten soldier in the Alliance. They see me as an extension of my grandfather's mistake. It's like I need to do something spectacular to clear my family's name or I'll just be destined to die a nobody on some godforsaken planet."

Shepard was concerned. "That kind of talk is dangerous. It leads to people making rash decisions. I don't want you thinking that you are any less valuable to my crew than anyone else."

Ashley heard his words but couldn't acknowledge them inside. She still put on a strong façade. "I know, sir. I'm sorry. It won't impact my judgment. You can count on me." She said with a forced smile.

Shepard was a little skeptical about her answer but felt it was enough for now. "Alright. Gear up and be ready at 1900 hours."

Ashley saluted. "Aye, aye, Commander."

"And Williams, if you ever want to talk, please don't hesitate to come see me." Shepard proposed.

She again paid him lip service. "I will, Commander." She then returned to her gun hoping he would just drop it.

Shepard sighed as he walked away. _'Another potential issue to keep track of. I just hope she's not a ticking time bomb.'_

* * *

The planet of Feros was apparently once a vibrant Prothean settlement as most of the planet's land mass was covered by skyscrapers, roadways and aqueducts from the now extinct civilization. In the 50,000 years or so since the Protheans extinction though, it has fallen into ruin. Many of the structures are in great disrepair and debris clouds the atmosphere. Add to that the fact that there is no usable land for crop growth and it makes Feros a very unpopular choice for colonization. However, in 2178, the ExoGeni Corporation decided that colonization was worth investigating. Despite the ruins being picked over by looters and archaeologists many times, there were some intact buildings that offered livable areas. By utilizing the ancient aqueduct network and creating hydroponic gardens on the rooftops, a colony is theoretically possible. Why anyone would want to live there is another question entirely.

The Normandy was making its final approach through the planet's atmosphere. Joker had her nimbly move in between the many spires remaining from the ruins as he deftly maneuvered her into a docking bay close to the colony of Zhu's Hope.

"Docking clamp is secured. Atmospheric pressure has been synchronized. We're ready to roll, Commander." Joker announced.

"Good work, Joker." Shepard then turned to address his team. Everyone was loaded and ready including their newest addition of Liara. "Alright, people. We've got reports of increased Geth activity near the colony. We're going in to investigate and try to find any leads on Saren or the Conduit. Stay together until we reach the colony. We'll see what we do from there. Any questions?"

Shepard expected at least someone to make a comment but everyone was unusually serious. He eyed Naruto who just gave him a nod.

"Let's move out then." Shepard ordered.

The team of eight moved out onto the dock. Further down they could see one of the colonists waving to them near some crates.

"We saw your ship." He said nervously. "Fai Dan wants to speak with you immediately."

"Who's Fai Dan?" Shepard asked.

"Our... leader. He needs your help to prepare for the Geth. They're making another push."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at his behavior and the odd feeling he got from the colonist.

Shepard was about to ask more questions when a rocket was fired from further down the dock. "GET DOWN!"

The team scattered for cover. The colonist did not. Shepard's squad returned fire on the Geth as the smoldering carcass of the colonist fell to the ground.

"How many are there?" Shepard asked.

Kaidan responded. "Radar is being jammed, sir."

"Typical Geth move." Naruto grumbled. "Give me some cover. I'll scout it out."

Ashley laid down a spray from her assault rifle as Naruto swiftly moved from crate to crate. Garrus dropped the initial shock trooper with a sniper blast. Naruto moved in and sliced through two more units using another crate for cover. More gunfire rained down on his position from an alcove up ahead. He dove for cover to escape the onslaught.

"Little help here." Naruto shouted.

Shepard and Kaidan quickly moved up the narrow dock path to provide support. Ashley used the cover Liara provided with her biotic barrier as they both slid in next to Naruto. Wrex moved near a crate on Naruto's side. Garrus remained back to snipe as Tali provided cover for him.

"I see at least a dozen more, Shepard." Garrus announced from his rear position.

"Tali, anyway you can take down their shields?" Shepard asked.

"One moment." Tali typed a command code into her omni-tool. "I have a tech ready to go. It will only last a few seconds though. Just say the word." She responded.

"Alright, on my signal, Naruto, Wrex move in. We'll lay down cover while Tali takes out their shields." Shepard planned over the barrage of laser fire.

"Move!" Shepard ordered.

Tali fired her overload at the group of Geth. Their shields dropped momentarily. Naruto ran swiftly across the wall to get behind them while they were confused. Wrex charged head on causing further distraction while the team rained down fire from assault rifles and pistols to keep the heat off of Wrex and Naruto.

"RrRRR!" Wrex jumped in and head butted a Geth trooper to pieces while blasting two others with his shotgun.

Naruto made his way behind the remaining units slicing and dicing four of them. Two shock troopers were preparing to fire when their heads suddenly exploded from well placed shots by Garrus and Ashley.

Within minutes, the fight was over. The team moved up to the alcove.

"Good work. Let's hurry to the colony. If the Geth are here with this many units, we may be on the right track." Shepard stated.

Naruto turned to Garrus and Ashley. "Nice shooting you two. I owe you one."

"Well we can't have you get killed now and leave me as the only pretty one in the group. It's too much of a hassle." Garrus joked.

Naruto smirked. "Such is the burden of vanity."

Ashley just rolled her eyes. "You two ladies done doing your nails?"

"Yes ma'am." They replied in unison.

They were working their way up a stairwell towards the coordinates for the colony.

"It's amazing how intact these buildings are." Tali commented.

Naruto was about to comment but Liara beat him to it. "Prothean architecture is remarkably resilient. Most of the artifacts I find are well preserved."

"Just another wonder of their society. They built things to last." Naruto added. "Although, these buildings are starting to crumble in places but hey 50,000 years is a hell of a run."

The team made its way through the stairwell to the entrance of the colony. Several colonist were guarding the barricade and looked relieved to see them.

"Thank god you're here. We didn't know how much longer we could hold out." One of the guarding colonists exclaimed.

"I'm Commander Shepard. We're here to help stop the Geth. I need to speak with Fai Dan."

"He's just beyond the main complex over there. Around the back towards the other stairwell." She stated.

The colony was situated on a rooftop of one of the old skyscrapers. This allowed sunlight to be used for growing food in the hydroponic gardens. It also made for a defensible position from varren or apparently Geth.

As the team moved through the colony, Naruto couldn't help a nagging feeling he was getting from the colonists.

_'Something is just not right here. They all share the same emotion. That's just weird.'_

Ashley could see that Naruto was unsettled.

"What's up?" She whispered to him.

"Something just doesn't feel right. Don't let your guard down for a second here." He whispered back.

Ashley nodded. She had been trusting Naruto's instincts more and more as they continued to go on missions together.

Naruto carefully watched the colonists. They all were watching the team as they walked towards the leader, Fai Dan. It was not a curious or relieved look though. The colonists watched them as if they were insects guarding a nest. It was a disturbing feeling.

They finally made their way over to Fai Dan.

"Ah Commander. I'm glad they finally sent someone to help us." Fai Dan thanked them.

"That's what we're here for." Shepard began.

"You're a bit late aren't you?" A woman in armor standing next to Fai Dan cut in.

"Nice attitude, bitch." Ashley whispered to Naruto. He chuckled but made no comment.

"It's ok, Acelia. These people are here to help." Fai Dan tried to calm her.

"Any idea what the Geth may be after? This seems like a lot of work just to take out a fledgling colony." Shepard asked.

"We have no idea what they want. They came, they attacked, that's all we know." Fai Dan answered.

"How long have you been receiving attacks? We only received word of possible Geth activity a few days ago." Shepard continued.

"Has it only been that long? It feels like we've been fighting them for weeks." Acelia responded.

"It's been about a day or so since they've attacked us." Fai Dan explained. "We first noticed them in the tunnels about a week ago. We sent off a report to ExoGeni and to the Alliance but they may not have taken us seriously. The Geth meanwhile seemed to be staying back. We hoped they'd just leave us alone. They surprised us one morning just after breakfast. We lost a dozen colonists in that attack."

"I'm sorry for your loss but I need to know where at in the tunnels you think they were so we can end this for you." Shepard sympathized.

Fai Dan shook his head from the memory. "Yes of course. It's just down this…"

Just then, a blaze of gunfire erupted through the doorway as several Geth troopers made another assault on the colony.

"Oh god! Here they come again!" Acelia shouted. "Geth in the tower! Geth in the tower!"

There were six or seven Geth positioned at the doorway to the colony. Shepard and his team acted quickly to keep them from pushing any further inward.

"Hold them back!" Shepard shouted.

The Geth put up a tougher fight this time placing mobile shields down to help defend against the gunfire. They were still no match though. Garrus chalked up another two sniper kills. Shepard picked off two more while the rest of the team cleaned up the stragglers. When the return fire ceased, Shepard carefully made his way up to the doorway. He eyed around the corner to see if there was an immediate threat.

"Kaidan, anything on the scanner?" He asked.

"Some blips about a kilometer away and down several levels it appears. Nothing close right now." Kaidan answered.

Shepard turned back to the team just as a Geth drop ship flew over head. "So much for that. Kaidan, Wrex, Garrus, stay here and guard the colony in case they slip by another way. The rest of you follow me. Stay staggered. It's going to be tight in there."

Kaidan and Garrus took up position at the doorway while Wrex headed back to the entrance they came from. The rest of the team followed Shepard down into the stairwell. As they were moving through, they could hear crumbling on the walls. Ashley turned and fired at some movement from the corner of her eye. She nailed another one of those Geth scouts.

"Shit. They probably know we're here now. Stay sharp people." Shepard ordered.

The five remaining members of the team pushed up the stairs to where the signal from the Geth drop ship was coming. As they made it closer though, the signal became jammed.

"Radar's jammed, sir. Geth are probably close." Ashley stated.

As they made their way up a narrow stair case towards a long hallway, several Geth snipers were waiting in ambush.

Shepard moved in but noticed the enemies immediately. "Hit the deck!"

Shepard, Liara and Tali moved to the adjacent wall in time to avoid the sniper shots. Ashley was unable to move in time.

"Ash!" Naruto dove for her and took a shot right in the shoulder. "Mmph." He grunted as he tried to stifle the pain while pulling her back to cover.

"Naruto! You idiot. You don't have any armor!" She was worried beyond belief about him.

Naruto sat down and leaned up against a wall while Shepard, Liara and Tali returned fire. The wound from the sniper shot was open and pulsating but was quickly being healed by his chakra.

"Sorry, old habits die hard." He said with a smirk and a grimace. "I'll be fine in a minute."

"You don't need to die for me, damn it. I'm not worth it." Ashley was on the verge of tears.

"A. I decide who I want to save and B. I'm hardly dying here. My biotics make me impervious to almost all gunfire." Naruto calmly explained.

She watched as his wound sealed itself up. "Amazing." She whispered. She then shook her head. "That still doesn't mean you have to risk your life for mine."

Naruto could see she was really torn up about this. "Look we'll talk about this later. We need to take out these Geth first."

Shepard meanwhile focused on the battle trusting that Naruto would be ok. He and Liara moved up continuing to put pressure on the remaining troopers. Shepard switched to his pistol and was placing precision shots to the heads of many units. Liara was alternating between her SMG and biotic lift abilities while Tali continued applying overload and sabotage techs to keep the Geth confused. They pushed back to the landing area destroying the last of the Geth troopers and watched as the drop ship took off.

Shepard took a deep breath. "Good work you two. Nice moves Liara. Glad you're a part of the team." He said as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

Liara was unused to direct praise. "Oh, umm thank you, Commander. I was just trying not to screw up." She said with a nervous giggle.

Shepard smiled and turned to Tali. "You too, Tali. Your tech attacks are proving invaluable against the Geth. We'd be a lot worse off if you weren't here."

Tali was trying to keep a pang of jealousy down from being the second acknowledged. "Thank you, Shepard."

The three of them made their way back towards Naruto and Ashley. Naruto was just standing up and rotating his arm to loosen up his shoulder.

"You gonna be ok?" Shepard asked.

"Tis merely a flesh wound." Naruto boasted with a cockneyed British accent.

"Right." He turned to Ashley. "You ok, Williams? You seem shaken up."

Her back was to him. She quickly wiped away the unshed tears. "Fine, Commander." She said as she stood up and reloaded her gun. "Ready to move, sir."

Shepard wasn't convinced but pressed on anyway. "Alright, let's go investigate these tunnels." He started to speak over the comm. "Kaidan. How's things at the colony?"

"So far so good, sir. No signs of Geth. I have Wrex guarding the other entrance while Garrus and I hold the one you went through. Any new orders?" Kaidan replied.

"No hold the fort up there. We're going to investigate the tunnels to see if there's a Geth stronghold that they are moving from. Shepard out."

They made a quick sweep of the hallways that they already passed through to make sure there were no stragglers.

"All clear, Commander." Ashley stated.

"Let's head down then." Shepard ordered.

They made their way past an elevator and through the hallways to another stairwell that led down.

"Williams, anything on the scanner?" Shepard asked.

"I'm picking up some blips. Possibly friendly. No other contacts, sir." Ashley explained.

"Hello! Anyone up there?" They heard a female voice down below.

"We're here to help. Are you injured?" Shepard called down.

"No but the rest of my group is dead. Those robots got them. I don't know if they... oh god! They're everywhere!" She screamed as blaster fire erupted down below.

"Move, people!" Shepard shouted.

Several drones and troopers blocked the passage below. There was a group of civilians lying dead on the stairs. Shot in the back as they attempted to flee.

Shepard moved to the nearest pillar and had Liara take the far one. Naruto took point and ran down the side of an adjacent pillar to jump across the gap of the stairwell. He quickly sliced two of the Geth in half while Liara and Tali took out one each with their respective abilities. Ashley picked off another two while Shepard cleaned out the rest. They checked the bodies for life signs but there were none.

"Damn it! God damn Geth!" Ashley gave a frustrated shout.

Shepard sighed at the loss of more civilians. "Come on, let's find their base so we can end this."

The team continued down several more levels until they reached a hall that led out into an open area. There appeared to be pipes running in all directions.

"This looks like it could be the Prothean Aqueduct system." Liara stated.

"Seems like it." Naruto agreed. "Would be a good place to secure water for the colonists. Probably a good place for the Geth to set an ambush as well."

"Let's just stay focused then." Shepard stated.

They made their way carefully into the open expecting to be fired upon at any moment. A small bridge led from the hallway across the drainage area that left very little cover for the group. They ran across one at a time to avoid being a big target. It was all precautionary though as no Geth fired upon them.

Shepard led the way through a maintenance path to get to another part of the waterway. As he was moving through, several Geth units popped up out of nowhere. The team scrambled for cover.

"We're boxed in. I can't get around them." Naruto shouted.

"We'll just have to blast through them then." Shepard said.

It was a narrow maintenance duct that provided little cover. The team was having trouble picking them off because of the constant enemy fire. The Geth were advancing on their position with overwhelming numbers.

"Fuck it. Stand back people." Naruto stated. "Try to keep behind me for this one because it doesn't discriminate."

Naruto charged chakra into his fists as laser blasts whizzed by his body. He then flung them forward in a successive punching motion.

"Take this you tin cans!"

He threw what he called _Senpukken_ or Hurricane Fist. The six Geth that were pressing forward as well as the dirt, rocks, pipes and just about anything in the way were blown back by an incredible vortex of wind. Some units smashed against the far wall while the heavier ones were just knocked over. They quickly regained their balance.

Shepard wouldn't allow them to get back up though. "Take em down!"

The remaining four members of the team blasted away at the three standing heavies until they were destroyed. Naruto took a seat to catch his breath. Using his healing and a high level wind jutsu like that took a bit out of him.

_'Damn demon doesn't give me a break. I haven't had to fight this hard in years.'_

"Nice work, Naruto." He noticed Naruto's heavy breathing. "You ok?"

"Yea. Just need to catch my breath. I'll be good in a minute." He said between pants.

"That was rather impressive, Naruto. I don't recall you having that ability when we last sparred." Liara stated.

He smirked. "Well I wasn't trying to kill you, Li. A lot of my moves are for deadly force only."

"I see. You'll have to show me more of them sometime. I'm interested in what you're capable of." Liara enthusiastically stated.

"Why don't you focus on what we're doing here and now and worry about your personal life later, little Ms. Bookworm." Ashley jealously sniped.

Liara was taken aback. "I wasn't trying to... I mean of course I'm focused on the mission. I was merely remarking..." She fumbled on.

"It's alright Liara. At ease, Williams." Shepard reprimanded.

Ashley huffed and turned back to tend to Naruto.

_'I don't need this right now.'_ Shepard thought.

He checked his map of the ruins based on his omni-tool's scans.

"It looks like there's two ways for us to go up ahead. One heads down into more hall ways while the other leads into an old highway section. From the look of the scans, I can't tell if it's intact or not. We're going to split up here. Liara and Tali are with me. We'll check out the tunnels. Naruto and Ashley, check out the highway and see what you can find." Shepard ordered.

"Aye, aye, Commander." Ashley saluted.

"I'm right behind you." Liara stated.

"Understood, Shepard." Tali replied.

Naruto simply nodded but motioned for Shepard to come closer and out of earshot from the girls. "I didn't think you had it in you, Shep."

"What?" Shepard was confused.

"Alien three way while on a mission. Nicely done." Naruto quipped.

Shepard just rolled his eyes. "Just keep it together yourself. I don't need any more drama then we've already had and keep an eye on Williams. "

Naruto then became serious. "I will. Also, I think you should know, there's something weird about the colonists. I wouldn't trust them if I were you."

Shepard was interested in that. "What do you mean?"

"I have a somewhat empathic ability. I can usually feel surface emotions from living creatures or dormant feelings if I press hard enough for plants and certain types of inanimate objects depending on how they were built." Naruto explained.

"You'll have to elaborate that one for me later. So what did you pick up?" Shepard just needed the important information for now.

"All the colonists have the same emotions. They all seem to be sharing them. I've never felt anything like that before. There was just a weird vibe when we entered the colony. I'd let Kaidan and the others know to be on alert." Naruto suggested.

Shepard seemed to think it over before agreeing. "Alright." He picked up the comm. "Kaidan, come in."

"I'm here, sir." Kaidan responded.

"Anything unusual to report from the colonists?"

"Nothing major but they are kind of giving me a weird feeling. Garrus and Wrex noticed it to."

"Alright stay alert. Don't let your guard down around them. Something isn't right about this. Shepard out."

"Copy, sir." Kaidan said before cutting the connection.

Shepard turned back to the team. "Ok move out."

* * *

Naruto and Ashley made their way back towards the highway section. While they were walking, Naruto decided to have a little chat with his beautiful comrade.

"So, want to tell me what that was all about back there?" He began softly.

"It was nothing. Let's just drop it." She obviously was still guarded about it.

Naruto simply sighed. "Ash, I'm not an enemy. I'm your friend. In fact I'm probably the closest friend you have right now."

She glanced over at him. She could see that he wasn't being his boastful ego-maniac persona at the moment.

He could see she wasn't going to open up easily. "You know, I've seen many friends die in my time. Some went easy, some painful. All were hard to watch go. Some even saved my life a few times." Then he had a hollow laugh. "Some tried to take it. But I never once regretted the moments I had with them. I never questioned their actions when they did what they did. I trusted that they were being who they wanted to be."

She thought about what he said. "It's not that simple, Naruto. I have a lot of baggage. No one's life is worth mine."

He pulled up short and carefully grabbed her by the shoulders to get her attention. "I'm not about to tell you your issues don't matter because they do to you. Nothing I or anyone else could say would change that. But your life is not worthless. You matter to people out there. Your family. Your mother and sisters. They all care about you."

She scoffed at that. "They care as much as they're obligated too." Tears threatening to emerge as she squirmed in his grip. "I'm a reminder of the brutal history of our family. My grandfather was disgraced for surrendering. My father was humiliated for his father's actions."

"What did your grandfather do?" Naruto asked cautiously.

"He surrendered to the enemy. The only human commander to ever surrender to an alien race."

"Did he save the lives of his men?"

"Yes but at the cost of the mission. So the Alliance has all but branded him a traitor." She angrily answered.

Naruto pondered her story for a moment before answering. "There's an old saying a teacher of mine once had. _'Those who abandon the mission are trash but those that abandon their comrades are less than trash.'_ Your grandfather sounds like a great man to be able to bear such humiliation to save the lives of his comrades."

"It doesn't matter. I'm the only one of my sisters to continue the military tradition. My mother probably wishes I just let it go. She never says anything but I can see it in her eyes. She's proud and disappointed at the same time."

Naruto could feel the emotions rolling off of Ashley. Regret, rage, depression were all swirling off of her like a tornado of self doubt. "You don't mean that, Ash. You told me family was important to you."

"They are. I just don't know if I am to them anymore. My sisters and I used to be best friends. Now they barely contact me. When we do meet, I'm more a reminder that Dad isn't with us than I am their big sis. Sarah is still in high school so she still sends me an email from time to time but it's like I don't exist sometimes." She grew quieter with each passing sentence till she was but a whisper.

Naruto slowly pulled her in for a hug. She let him as tears escaped her eyes. She didn't make a sound though. Ashley allowed him to comfort her for the moment.

Naruto rubbed her back as he slowly began to speak. "I've lived many years, Ash. The exact number of which I can't even remember anymore but I've been alive for at least 9000 years. The time I grew up in came and went before the modern age of man. We established territories, fought over borders and killed our brothers and sisters until our way of life was destroyed and forgotten. The Earth eradicated our memory from existence. I'm the last surviving relic of an ancient people. I've seen so many friends disappear into time that it almost doesn't hurt anymore but the pain is still there for all of them."

Ashley looked up into Naruto's eyes and found nothing but truth. "Why are you telling me this?"

"Because I trust you. I've told only one other person this information that is still alive today. You're my friend, Ash and I don't think you're worthless." Naruto expressed openly.

She laid her head back into his chest. "I don't know what you see in me but thank you." She said as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Naruto used his thumb to wipe them away. "Come on now. Tough girls don't cry." He gently said.

She let a small laugh escape her lips. "Maybe I'm not as tough as you think I am."

"Nope, you're tougher." He smirked. "Let's get back to work here before Shepard thinks we're slacking off."

They gathered themselves and made their way to the entrance for the highway section.

"So, old man, aren't you a little too old to be flirting with women so young?" She poked at him.

"As I told the dear Dr. Chakwas, age is but a number, Ash." He finished with a wink.

* * *

Meanwhile Shepard, Liara and Tali were approaching the other area when they noticed a single colonist pacing back and forth.

"You're in my brain... Get out of my brain!" He shouted as he clawed at his skull.

Shepard cautiously approached him. "Do you need any help?"

The colonist jolted around and faced them clearly startled. "Ah! You don't want to go down there."

"What are you doing down here?" Shepard asked.

"Nothing I should be. Anything I shouldn't." The colonist babbled. Just then he doubled over in pain. "Arrgghh! Nooo!" He stood up after a few seconds breathing heavily. "That was a good one. Very intense."

Shepard raised an eyebrow at his behavior. "What's the matter with you?"

"Just invoking the master's whip. Help's remind me I'm still alive." The colonist again rambled on. He finally noticed Shepard and his teammates. "You're here for the Geth aren't you? You're not the only one interested in those... things."

Shepard was confused. "Who else is looking for the Geth?"

"Not looking for. Looking to get rid of. They're a thorn in the side of the... Argh!" He grabbed his head again as pain spiked through his skull. He struggled again to speak. "They're trying to get to the... aiieiee!" He then began laughing madly.

"He's clearly delusional." Liara commented.

_'This may have been what Naruto was talking about.'_ Shepard thought.

"Is something happening to you and the colonists? Is there anything I can do to help?" Shepard inquired.

"Help me? No one can help me now." The colonist said. "I'd rather die fighting!"

"Fighting what?" Shepard demanded.

"Not... that... kind of... fight." He caught his breath. "It's like running through a thorn bush. The more you struggle..."

Tali then spoke up. "Shepard! We have incoming." She noticed several signals on her radar approaching rapidly.

"Time's up. Ask Fai Dan! Ask him about the... aaaagghhh!" The colonist fell to the ground in pain.

Shepard didn't have time to worry about that though. Several Geth troopers were closing in on his position. "Tali, overload."

"Got it." She replied as she blew out their shields.

The Geth staggered back erecting stationary shields as a temporary measure.

"I have this one." Liara charged her biotics and easily lifted the units above the shields where Shepard could pick them off.

They waited a moment to see if any more blaster fire was coming. "Looks like we're clear." Shepard announced.

He looked back at the colonist writhing on the ground in pain. "There's nothing we can do for him right now. We have to stop the Geth first and then figure out what the hell is going on."

They made their way into the tunnels slowly, checking around each corner to avoid an ambush. They finally came to a long, narrow corridor. There were no other rooms in the vicinity.

Shepard whispered to Tali. "Anything on the radar?"

"It's being jammed. They have to be close." She quietly responded.

Shepard was carefully peaking around the corner for any movement. At the far end of the corridor he thought he could make out a light sitting on a balcony several meters above. _'This is the perfect spot for a trap.'_

He switched to his sniper rifle and zoomed in. Through the scope he could barely make out what appeared to be the top of a Geth unit. He steadied his aim.

"Be ready to move if they come charging at us." He remarked to his teammates.

He fired off a shot. It struck home before the Geth unit knew what was happening. The head exploded into fragments causing the unit next to it to frantically move.

_'Peak-a-boo, I see you, you bastard.'_ Shepard fired again taking out the other Geth Sniper.

The distinct whining, mechanical sound of Geth units could be heard mobilizing up ahead but there were a few other noises as well.

"We got incoming. Get up there and take em out!" A gruff voice called out.

"Great. Krogan." Shepard sarcastically stated.

"By the goddess." Liara gasped as three Krogan and a dozen Geth came into view.

"Tali, work the Geth. Liara, stasis as many of the Krogan as you can." Shepard rapidly ordered.

They quickly fired off their respective attacks. Several Geth units were writhing from an electrical overload Tali used. Shepard took them down with precision shots. The rest of the Geth were forced to take cover. Two of the Krogan were immobilized in a stasis field but the third began to charge.

"Everything you have on the Krogan!" Shepard shouted.

He switched to his shotgun and blasted shell after shell. Liara used her push ability to slow him down while Tali used her damping to shut down the Krogan's biotic abilities. Despite this, it still pushed forward.

"You'll have to do better than that!" He roared.

"No problem." Shepard smirked as he threw a sticky grenade at the Krogan's chest.

The explosion rocked the corridor as the smoldering remains of the Krogan fell to the ground.

"The stasis fields are holding for now." Liara shouted.

"Focus on the Geth then." Shepard ordered.

Tali didn't need to be told twice. She was becoming acclimated to her role as the team's Geth expert.

_'I just hope that Shepard takes notice.'_ She subconsciously thought while picking off the remaining Geth.

"The Geth are down." Liara announced just as the Krogan broke free of their stasis.

"Cover me." Shepard said as he charged in with his omni-blade ready.

Liara and Tali frantically fired off every attack they could muster. Tali disabled the first Krogan's shields and weapon just as Shepard swiped him across the chest with his blade.

"Argh. That felt good. You want fight hand to hand? Bring it on human!"

"I'll pass." Shepard raised his shotgun to blast the Krogan in the head.

The other was already charging Shepard's position. The Commander dodged quickly to the right as Liara and Tali unloaded their clips to try and slow him down.

"I'll tear you pests apart in a second. This one here is worthy of a fight!" The remaining Krogan excitedly announced.

"Good. I thought we were going to have to hug it out." Shepard replied.

Shepard blasted away at the Krogan's thick hide but it just kept coming. The Krogan managed to get a solid hit on Shepard's shoulder that knocked him to the ground.

_'Got to take this bastard out.'_ Shepard thought while his arm throbbed in pain at his side.

With his remaining good arm, Shepard pulled his assault rifle and started firing one handed. The Krogan was slowing down significantly.

"Damn." The Krogan chuckled. "Killed by a human. Who'd have thought..." He slumped down to the ground and didn't get back up.

Shepard let out a sigh of relief. _'That was close.'_

"Shepard!" Both Liara and Tali shouted as the Krogan fell.

"All you alright?" Liara asked while examining his wound.

"I'll be fine. Just slap some medi-gel on it and let's move. Are you two ok?" Shepard replied.

"We're fine, Shepard." Tali said in awe. "That was amazing. Your moves. The way you... and then the... We just took out over a dozen Geth and three Krogan!"

"Eh, it was a slow day. I promise we'll find tougher enemies on our next mission." Shepard quipped as he grimaced.

"I'm sorry. I'm not very good at first aid." Liara apologized.

"You're doing fine. You just have to rub it gently to make it feel good." Shepard stated. He then swore he could hear Naruto in his mind uttering _phrasing_.

Liara blushed at the innuendo having remembered some of Naruto's better ones. "Yes. I will try to rub it better... er... make it feel good... I mean... I'll just stop talking now."

Tali coughed. "You know, we should probably make sure if there are no more Geth in here. Just saying."

"Right." Shepard stood up as he loosened his arm up. "Seems like I'm good to go. The miracles of medi-gel."

They moved carefully into the room where all the Geth came from. In the back there was a transmitter sending out some kind of signal.

"Can you trace it, Tali?" Shepard asked.

"It looks like it's a rally point for Geth units. They must be using it to coordinate attacks on the colony." She explained.

"Can you tell if it's relaying to any other ships?"

"Let me see." She analyzed for a moment before she replied. "There is apparently a ship about 15 kilometers from here."

"That would be well into another part of the ruins. We'd have to take the skyway to get there." Liara explained.

"First, set some grenades to blow. We're taking this thing out." Shepard lobbed a few at the base of the transmitter as they took cover behind some pillars.

The transmitter exploded in a fiery blaze leaving metal fragments everywhere.

"That should stop the immediate threat to the colony." Liara remarked.

"Let's regroup with Naruto and Ashley and head back there. We still have some work to do. We need to find out what the Geth were so interested in." Shepard stated.

_'Hopefully it has something to do with Saren.'_

* * *

_Hours Earlier_

Saren walked through the ancient corridors of the Prothean ruins towards the spot where this indigenous creature lived. Matriarch Benezia and a squad of Asari Commandos followed him closely. His Geth had secured a direct route to the location using the information found at the ExoGeni headquarters. They were almost at the nesting place.

_'I feel the presence of this creature. Its mental capabilities make it a most powerful entity. Almost as powerful as… I must be cautious.' _

They arrived in a large chamber. Before them was an enormous plant-like creature known as the Thorian. A dozen large tentacles grasped on to the surrounding pillars to secure its position. In the center was a beak-like orifice with several slimy tendrils dripping disgusting ooze. As Saren moved closer, the tendrils began to move in his direction. From the orifice dropped down a human clone, probably one of the colonists.

**"You are within and before the Thorian. It commands you to be in awe."** The clone stated.

Saren calmly began his plea. "Oh great and wise Thorian, we humbly come to bargain for knowledge that you possess. In your infinite wisdom, will you allow us an exchange of value?"

The clone was silent for a few minutes. Finally it spoke. **"The Old Growth recognizes your humility and is willing to listen. What offer do you bring it?"**

"We offer the knowledge of the Asari people for you to do with as you please." Saren presented.

Benezia signaled one of her commandos to move forward. Shiala had been one of Benezia's most loyal followers. She had served the Matriarch for over two centuries of her life. Shiala willingly followed anything that Benezia had asked her to do which was why she followed her on this quest to stop Saren. Somewhere along the way though, she began to follow Saren's will instead of Benezia's.

Shiala knelt before the Thorian as she was presented as a gift.

The clone spoke again for the ancient creature. **"Very well. What is it that you seek in return?"**

Saren spoke. "We seek the knowledge of a species from long ago. One that you have encountered in your vast lifespan. We seek knowledge of the Protheans."

The clone again hesitated before speaking. **"The Thorian agrees to your terms."**

Without warning, the tendrils engulfed Shiala and sucked her in. Saren calmly waited for a response. Despite their mental conditioning and loyalty, several of the Asari commandos were uncomfortable about letting the creature take one of their sisters but they voiced no disagreement.

After several minutes, Shiala emerged with a distinctly green skin tone. The human clone was sucked back into the Thorian and Shiala now spoke in its place.

**"The Thorian has absorbed this being's identity. All knowledge it possessed has now been integrated into the Thorian. Tremble in fear at its might."** Shiala spoke.

"Is the Thorian ready to deliver its promised offering?" Saren asked trying to hide his anticipation.

Shiala again responded. **"The Thorian has prepared the information for your consumption. It will use this being's abilities to transfer the knowledge."**

Shiala stepped towards Saren. He did not resist as she began her mind meld with him. The sudden flash of information into his mind helped clarify most of the vision. It was still an intense experience. Saren took to one knee before the joining was complete.

He stood up to address the creature. "Thank you, great Thorian. We shall leave you in peace."

Saren motioned for the group to follow him out. Once they were out of the main chamber, he spoke to Benezia while they walked swiftly away.

"Have the Geth destroy the colony, ExoGeni headquarters and the Thorian. Leave no trace we were here." He ordered.

"Did you get what we came for?" Benezia asked.

"Yes and no. I received a cipher for the Prothean language but my mind must still be too primitive to translate it. However, the computers at the lab on Virmire should be able to extract the data." He explained.

"How long do you think it will take?" She asked.

"There is no way to know for certain. Either way, I want you to continue researching what Binary Helix was working on. We may still need the information and I don't want to waste time backtracking if this cipher fails."

"As you wish." She replied obediently.

_'Almost there. I almost have the key to my dream.'_ Saren thought.

As they moved away, no one from the group noticed a green Asari in the rafters above them. She eyed them menacingly as the Thorian controlled her actions.

**_'Flesh bags dare betray the Thorian? All shall pay for this insult!'_**

* * *

So there we go. Part 1 of Feros. I'll probably be able to wrap it up in the next chapter.

Please, review. Seriously. This thing is getting tons of views and visitors but only 9 reviews for the last chapter? I'm feeling unappreciated here. Not really but a guilt trip never hurt.

Here's a bonus Omake that I had in my head when I was writing the chapter and just remembered. I don't usually do Omakes but this one seemed appropriate.

* * *

Immortal Omake

Naruto slowly pulled her in for a hug. She let him as tears escaped her eyes. She didn't make a sound though. Ashley allowed him to comfort her for the moment.

Naruto rubbed her back as he slowly began to speak. "I am Naruto Uzumaki of the clan Uzumaki. I was born in 10,000 B.C. in the village of Konoha. And I am Immortal."

_Here we are. Born to be Kings. We're the Princes of the Universe. (Queen Rock riff ensues)_

"Where is that music coming from?" Ashley asked clearly confused.

"My iPod." Naruto commented.

"Your what?"

"Not important. The important thing is There Can Be Only One!"


	6. A Certain Shade of Green, Part 2

Welcome Back! This is the exciting part 2 of our adventure on Feros. I had a few ideas pop into my head as I was writing it and I'm pleasantly surprised by how well they fit. Nothing much else to say but that. Read on to find out what happens.

On to the chapter title game. No one got chapter 4 and I am very disappointed in that. _"Future Foe Scenarios"_ is a song by Silversun Pickups from their album Carnavas. They're a great band that you should all check out at some point. Chapter 5 and 6 title is still up for grabs. Let's see if anyone can figure it out.

Still don't own Naruto or Mass Effect.

**Bold - Large Creatures Talking (like the Thorian)**

* * *

A Certain Shade of Green, Part 2

Shepard, Liara and Tali made their way back to the rendezvous point to regroup with Naruto and Ashley. As they emerged from the tunnels into the large aqueduct area again, they could see the colonist from before leaning against a wall. Against his better judgment, Shepard decided to check on him.

"What's your name?" Shepard began carefully.

"Ian." He said between heavy breaths.

_'Good start'_ Shepard thought.

"I take it there's something keeping you from talking. Maybe we can keep to simple questions then?"

Ian thought about it before nodding affirmatively.

"What do you do here?" Shepard continued.

"I was a scientist for ExoGeni. Fuck those bastards now though. They did this to us." Ian said bitterly.

Liara cut in. "Did they infect you with something or implant something in you? Some kind of mind control device?"

Ian continued to struggle. "No but they did use us as lab rats. They wanted to see what would happen."

Shepard resumed. "Can you tell us what they were testing?"

Ian fought to say it but he couldn't get it out. "I... want to... I... just... can't."

Shepard stopped him. "It's alright, don't push yourself. Can you tell me anything about ExoGeni?"

Ian took a moment to catch his breath again. "There's a building. About 10 to 15 kilometers from here. ExoGeni was using it as a headquarters."

Tali spoke up. "Shepard, that could be where the Geth signal was coming from."

"Ok, we're going to check it out. Ian, you need to head back to the colony to be safe."

"No, no! They are... too. Can't go there... it has them... argh!" He gripped his head. "I need to... need to get away. Far away."

Shepard could see there was no helping it. "Fine just stay hidden down here. Don't let the Geth find you. I'll be back to help if I can."

The three of them moved up to the entrance for the highway section just as Naruto and Ashley were returning.

"Fancy meeting you here." Naruto stated.

"Did you find anything?" Shepard asked.

"Negative, Commander. That area is completely destroyed." Ashley reported.

"Yea. There are a couple of smashed land rovers in there. The highway must've collapsed recently. All we found was a nest of varren. There was a big ugly one that charged right at us. Stupid mutt. Nothing special otherwise." Naruto explained. "How about you guys?"

"We were able to find their stronghold. There was a transmitter sending out a signal to tell the Geth where to form up. We ran into a bunch of Krogan as well." Shepard answered.

"Krogan? Just like on Therum. You think Saren is here then?" Ashley asked.

"My only hope is that he's still here. The Geth signal was coming from a ship about 15 kilometers from here. We think it's where ExoGeni's headquarters are." Shepard stated.

"So what's our move, Shep?" Naruto said.

"We need to get back to the colony and find a way to ExoGeni. Maybe Fai Dan will know. Also, we ran into a colonist down here that was fighting some kind of mental attack." Shepard replied.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Mental Attack?"

Liara cut in. "Yes. He couldn't tell us what or who was doing it but he said that ExoGeni is somehow involved."

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Of course. Those bastards probably have some kind of experiment running on the colonists. That's why they were acting weird."

"We don't know what it is though. We need to get to ExoGeni HQ to find out. This could be what Saren was interested in especially if it involves mind control." Shepard remarked.

"Then we'd better hurry. If the Geth recognized the loss of their transmitter, they may be moving out soon." Tali offered.

"Right. Let's go have a little chat with Fai Dan." Shepard said.

* * *

Kaiden was on edge. He hadn't heard from the Commander in about 20 minutes. The last message about being wary of the colonists had made him more paranoid than he already was. He was able to let Garrus and Wrex know the situation without alerting the colonists that they knew something but he could feel their eyes upon him.

_'Shepard better get back here soon.'_ Kaidan thought.

Just then, Shepard broke in on the radio. "Kaiden, come in."

"I'm here, sir."

"We took out the Geth that were attacking the colony. We're coming back up. There's an ExoGeni facility that we're going to be heading to. I'll speak to Fai Dan when I get there."

"Understood."

"How's things looking up there?"

"So far so good, Commander but that feeling hasn't gone away." Kaidan cryptically spoke as several colonists watched him.

"Affirmative. We may have a lead on what it is. Stay sharp. Shepard out."

"Roger." Kaidan turned to Garrus. "They're coming back up. Sounds like they took out the immediate threat."

"Well there's some good news." Garrus quietly spoke to Kaidan. "Now if we could just stop the creepy townsfolk from eyeing us like we kicked their dog, we'll be ok."

Several minutes had passed before the team had returned from the tunnels. Shepard acknowledged Kaidan but moved directly to Fai Dan.

"We took out a Geth transmitter in the tunnels. They must've been using it to coordinate attacks on the colony. You're safe for now." Shepard explained.

"Thank you, Commander. I appreciate your efforts against the Geth." Fai Dan thanked him.

"They may have been slowed but they'll be back. They always come back." Acelia retorted.

Shepard raised an eyebrow at her. "Well if I knew what they were after, maybe I could help you better."

"Like I said, Commander, we have no clue." Fai Dan denied.

"Perhaps I can find something at the ExoGeni facility then. Tell me how to get there and we'll get this figured out for you." Shepard replied.

"Who told you about that?" Acelia nervously stated.

"There was a man in the tunnels named Ian. He said the Geth might be after something that they have."

"Ian is very sick. We've tried to help him but he refuses." Fai Dan deflected. "However, if you wish to find the ExoGeni headquarters, take the elevator in the hallway you just came from. It will lead out to the skyway where you should be able to reach it in no time."

"I should go then." Shepard stated.

He walked over towards the hallway and made his way back in while motioning for everyone to follow him. He didn't want to be within earshot of the colonists. When the coast seemed clear he turned to Kaidan.

"So what can you tell me, Alenko?" Shepard asked.

"Like you said, sir. There's definitely a weird feeling coming from them."

"We think ExoGeni may be running some kind of experiment on them. Possibly some type of mind control." Shepard commented.

"What? That's sick!" Kaidan replied clearly repulsed.

Shepard nodded. "We're going to be heading to their base. Stay here with Garrus and Wrex. Keep an eye on everything till we figure this out."

"Aye, aye, sir." Kaidan made his way back into the colony.

Shepard got on the comm. "Joker, do you read?"

"Loud and clear, Commander." Joker responded.

"Get the Mako ready for transport and send it to these coordinates." Shepard typed the location into his omni-tool.

"Roger, Commander. It'll be there in two minutes. Joker out."

The five remaining members made their way into the elevator. As it began to descend, Shepard addressed them.

"Ok, team. It's us five again. Same as before. Stay tight and keep focused. Ash I want you on the cannon. Naruto, you're on the mini-gun. Liara and Tali keep us informed through the sensors. I'm driving." Shepard said with a grin.

"Yea, we're gonna die." Naruto casually stated as Shepard walked by.

"Ye of little faith. I'll have you know, I'm an excellent driver." Shepard retorted with a smirk.

"You know… nah that one's too easy." Naruto cut off his own remark.

"Settle down, boys. We got work to do." Ashley broke up the bro-fest.

* * *

The Mako rumbled down the dilapidated Prothean Skyway towards the ExoGeni facility. The trip was uneventful so far but the team remained on alert as they were expecting Geth at any moment. Shepard was having no troubles so far navigating the lumbering beast down the road. He decided to use this interlude to get some insight on his most mysterious team member.

"So, Naruto, you really seem to hate corporations." Shepard started.

"Hate is such a soft term. Loathe, despise, scorn; those all seem to fit better." Naruto answered from his seat at the mini-gun.

"Why so much venom?" Shepard asked.

"In the time I've been alive, I've seen a lot of heinous shit. I'd say a good 90% of it was caused by a corporation either directly or indirectly. That's saying a lot since corporations have only been around the last 500 years or so for humans."

Tali decided to jump in. "So you're at least 500 years old?"

Ashley and Liara each gave a glance at Naruto but kept their respective mouths shut. Naruto just gave Tali a lopsided grin. "I know right, I don't look a day over 400."

"That's astounding though. I didn't realize humans had such longevity." Tali was amazed.

Shepard decided to answer before Naruto could get them any more sidetracked. "Naruto is a special case. Most of us aren't capable of what he does."

"You just ain't eating right then. I'm starting you on an all ramen diet when we get back, Shep." Naruto quipped.

Tali was confused. "Is that your secret then? Just ramen?"

Naruto made a show of deep pain at her words. "Just ramen? My dear Tali, ramen is the food of the gods? Have you never tried such a wondrous bounty?"

"I'm not typically able to partake in most human foods. The fact that it's not dextro-amino based for starters but the suit tends to make anything not a liquid impossible to intake." She remarked.

Naruto strummed his chin in thought. "Well, I can find a dextro-amino based recipe for sure. Then the only trick is getting you out of that suit." He casually thought aloud.

Tali stuttered for a second. "Why would I need to get out of my suit? Couldn't I just open my mask to eat it?"

"Oh right the food. I had forgotten about the ramen for a moment. One problem at a time I guess." Naruto shrugged.

Tali just blushed underneath her aforementioned suit while they continued their journey down the road.

Shepard decided to steer the conversation back. "Anyway, is there any particular corporation in general that caused this vendetta?"

"Not really. I'm an equal opportunity hater when it comes to them. Pretty much guilty until proven innocent with me."

Shepard could see he wasn't getting any more out of him. It was just as well since there were contacts showing up on the sensors.

"Shepard, we have multiple Geth signals. Looks like a several dozen troopers and at least six armatures." Liara reported.

"Prepare for evasive maneuvers. By which I mean, hang the fuck on. It's going to get bumpy." Shepard announced.

"Knew we were gonna die." Naruto mumbled as he tightened his safety harness.

Shepard pushed the Mako to top speed as it barreled head on into the Geth troopers. While he was rumbling over their body platforms, the armatures opened fire with their plasma cannons. Shepard jumped the Mako into the air right over the blasts. He landed it just past the last of the troopers and floored it down the road.

_'No sense in staying and fighting all that. Just run like hell.'_ Shepard thought.

At top speed, they were almost at the ExoGeni HQ. Shepard plowed through another contingent of Geth. Ashley and Naruto were firing away but it was mostly just for show as Shepard was moving too fast for them to get proper aim.

As they were making their way through a collapsed portion of the highway, they picked up something on the comm.

"We're getting chatter on the comm, Shepard. It's a low frequency burst transmission. Someone is close by." Tali explained.

They were passing by an opening that could lead somewhere but was too small to drive in.

"Alright, let's take a look. They might be able to tell us something useful." Shepard stopped the Mako just outside the opening.

The five of them walked down the hallway into what appeared to be a makeshift camp. A little over a dozen humans were resting inside. They all appeared to be wearing ExoGeni uniforms. This immediately made Shepard wary. They didn't seem all that happy to have them there.

"That's close enough!" The one man said.

A woman spoke up to chide him though. "Relax, Jeong, they're obviously not Geth."

"Get back, Juliana." Jeong shouted. "Who are you, what do you want?"

_'Great some penny pushing prick.'_ Shepard thought. "Alliance military. We're here to remove your Geth problem."

Juliana was immediately relieved. "Thank god." She turned to Jeong. "You see. You worry too much."

"And you trust too easily, Juliana." Jeong spat back.

"I'm just happy to see a friendly face. I thought we were the last humans alive on this planet." She remarked.

Shepard seemed confused about that. "So you have no contact with Zhu's hope? That's where we just came from and they're all still alive."

Juliana turned with a glare at Jeong. "I thought you said they were all dead?"

Jeong backed away carefully. "I said they were _probably_ all dead."

"It doesn't matter now anyway. We've secured the colony from Geth attacks. I need to get to the ExoGeni headquarters to make sure I put a stop to them for good."

Jeong forcefully commented back. "Those headquarters are private property, soldier. You have no business there."

"The Geth are my business and business is booming." Shepard commented with a grin.

"It's just a bit further down the skyway." Juliana cut in. "You won't be able to miss it. If you could, while you're there, can you keep an eye out for my daughter? Her name is Lizbeth."

"Don't waste your time poking around. We'll figure out our dead once you clear the Geth out." Jeong callously commented.

"You son of a bitch." Juliana heatedly replied.

Shepard just sighed as he turned towards Naruto. Naruto just stared back with a look that simply implied _'See what I mean.'_

"We'll keep an eye out for her." Shepard stated before any more drama unfolded. He then pointed a finger at Jeong. "You stay put. If I find something I don't like there, we're having a chat when I get back."

Jeong looked nervous. "Whatever, there's nothing to see there. You'll probably all be killed by Geth anyway."

"Then what hope do you have of surviving?" Shepard shrugged. "By the way, look behind you."

Jeong fearfully turned around to find a terrifying blonde haired man staring at him menacingly. "Boo." Naruto uttered.

"Bahh!" Jeong run away to cower behind some crates.

"Well that was fun." Naruto commented with a smile.

"Then let's get moving." Shepard ordered.

They piled back into the Mako. It wasn't much longer to get to the ExoGeni facility. They blew past several more Geth squads but they weren't able to catch up to Shepard's Mako racer. They finally arrived at the entrance to see that it was swarming with Geth inside.

"Well, their public relations leaves much to be desired." Naruto quipped.

Shepard rushed up to take cover on the one side of the doorway. Ashley covered the other with her sniper rifle. She was picking off the Geth snipers to keep them from pinning her teammates down. Naruto darted past them in between a volley of fire from the Geth and took a flying leap into a rocket trooper slicing it half. Liara moved forward with Shepard and Tali following safely behind her barrier. Tali charged up her overload techs and let them loose, disabling most of the Geth shields.

"Keep pushing them back!" Shepard shouted as he picked off another trooper.

As Ashley had finished off the last sniper, the return fire ceased. They moved into the structure but it was pretty badly damaged.

"This place is a mess." Ashley commented.

"Yea, whether it's the ruins decaying or the Geth smashing, this place has certainly seen better days." Naruto agreed.

"Let's see if we can find a way in." Shepard ordered.

"It looks like there are several force fields blocking access to their premises." Liara noticed.

"Any way around them, Tali?" Shepard asked.

"It doesn't look like it." She said after checking her omni tool. "It would take too long to hack. We're going to need a key to get past this."

"Let's split up and see what we can find then. Same as before. Ashley and Naruto find another way in. Tali and Liara, follow me. We'll see if we can find any ExoGeni employees dead or alive to get a key to get in." Shepard instructed.

The two teams split up to find a way in.

* * *

Naruto and Ashley made their way over to an adjacent room to check it out. While they were moving though, Ashley's mind was focusing on her current teammate.

_'I wonder if what he said was true. How do I know he's not bullshitting me?'_ She skeptically thought. _'He did seem serious though. I haven't seen that look in his eyes before. It was like he bore the weight of the world on his shoulders.'_

She decided to just ask. "Hey, Naruto."

He turned to look at her with concern due to the waiver in her voice. "Yes, Ash?"

"The stuff you said before... was that all true?" She was uncharacteristically timid.

"I would never lie to you, Ash. I know we've only known each other a short time, but I never lie to my true friends. I may keep things from you if you never ask about it, but I won't ever mislead you. That's a promise." Naruto resolutely stated.

She didn't know why but his words gave her a warm feeling of comfort. "I'm a true friend?" She hesitantly asked.

He stepped back to her until he was side by side. He then wrapped his arm around her shoulders. "Till the end. I don't choose friends lightly what with the not dying and all. Makes it hard when I have to see them go. But life is not worth living without some friends."

She gave him a smile as she leaned into his side hug. "So, you'll answer any questions I ask then."

Naruto sighed at her implications. "I won't hold back if you're clever enough to pull specifics out of me."

They came to a balcony where they could see several stories down. Naruto took a look and decided to jump down.

"Try to keep up." He said with a grin as he dove over the railing.

"Hey! We were having a conversation here." She shouted down to him. "Besides, I can't jump down like that!"

"Sure you can. I'll catch you." He shouted back up.

"That's like 50 feet down!"

"Do you trust me?" He asked with a cocky grin.

She bit her lip. There was trusting someone's instincts or knowledge but this was different. "I..." She decided to throw caution to the wind. "Fuck it."

Ashley leapt over the edge and plummeted downward. She was terrified. The fall seemed to last for hours. Just as she was about to panic, she landed gently into Naruto's arms. Ashley gazed up in shock at how easily he caught her.

"See? Piece of pie."

His insufferable smirk along with his shimmering sapphire eyes caused her to blush. She fought that down though. "I thought it was cake."

"I prefer pie." He said as he placed her back on her feet.

They took inventory of their surroundings to find that they had found a way into the facility. They quietly made their way through hoping to avoid any Geth confrontations.

_'So far so good.'_ Naruto thought.

They came to a room that looked to be a main work area for employees. There was a dozen or so computer consoles that seemed to be intact.

"Looks like we found something. How good are you at hacking?" Ashley asked.

"Nowhere near as good as Tali, but I make do. Let's see what we can get." Naruto said as he began working on the first console.

He didn't find much in the way of security but there wasn't anything useful either. "This one's a dud. Nothing but basic work schedules. Emails home to mom. Oh, and several gigabytes of porn. Let me just download here..."

"Didn't think you were that desperate." Ashley mocked him.

"Unless you're suddenly succumbing to my charm, my dear, it gets lonely in space." He joked.

"Be serious for once."

"Alright, alright. I'll just have to borrow Joker's then." He said with faux disappointment.

Naruto moved on to the next console. "Well this seems promising."

"Find something?" Ashley asked.

"No but security is way tougher on this one. Might be something worth breaking in for." Naruto worked the data pad until he was able to crack it. "Got it." He began reading. "Yea, this isn't good."

"What is it?"

"Doesn't say what it is they are doing to the colonists but whatever it is, they've already shipped off samples to other areas. This log talks about a ship failing to arrive with whatever they sent on board. That can't be good. Could be a bio-weapon they're developing or something equally as horrible." Naruto explained.

He continued onto the next console.

"Here's some more info. Apparently some group named Cerberus has paid them for their test results. Shit, they even sent samples to them. It talks about there being no antidote so it has to be biological." He analyzed.

"We need to report this back to the Commander." She tried paging his comm. "Commander, this is Williams, over." There was no response. "Shepard, can you hear me?" Silence. "Damn it."

"I guess something is interfering with our comms then? Hold on a sec."

Naruto tried to reach out with his senses to find Shepard, Liara and Tali. There was a faint, soothing glow surrounding him as he focused on the natural energy around him.

Ashley was again amazed at his abilities. "I'm just going to stop being mystified by everything you do and just chalk it up as normal."

"Would save you a lot of headaches. That's what most of my friends do eventually." He stated as he continued to search. "It shouldn't be this hard. There's something blocking the flow of natural energy. Some kind of barrier."

"You think it's ExoGeni's defense grid?" Ashley asked.

"No. Way more powerful than that. Besides we waltzed right into one of the computer areas. How secure is this place really? My guess is the Geth." Naruto answered.

"Great." Ashley sarcastically replied.

"You didn't think this was going to be easy did you?" Naruto stood up and dusted himself off. "Well, looks like we have to take out whatever is causing that energy field. Let's go have a look."

They pushed on into the facility to investigate what was jamming communications.

* * *

Shepard had just finished off another Krogan as they made their way over to a VI console for the facility. The three of them had fought through all sorts of enemies to get here.

_'This is turning into a much bigger pain than I had original thought.'_ Shepard mentally groaned.

They moved past the dead Krogan on the ground when the VI recognized them. _"ExoGeni Corporation reminds all staff that the discharging of weapons while on company property is strictly forbidden."_

"Bosh'tet VI." Tali uttered.

"Language, young lady." Shepard mocked with a smile.

"Sorry, Shepard. I didn't mean to..." Tali stammered embarrassingly.

He just sighed. "When we get back to the ship, both of you are getting a lesson in human sarcasm."

"Is that entirely necessary, Shepard?" Liara inquired.

He thought of the cast of characters now on his ship. "I think your survival will depend on it."

The VI began speaking again. _"Welcome back, Research Assistant Elizabeth Baynham. What can I do for you?"_

"Well I guess the card Lizbeth gave us works." Liara commented.

"I'm just glad we didn't kill her when she shot at us." Shepard added. He then addressed the VI. "What is it that ExoGeni is studying here?"

_"Fetching data. There are several experiments that ExoGeni is currently monitoring from this facility."_

"List the experiments with the highest activity and priority." Shepard stated.

_"Highest priority experiment is the observation and analysis of species 37, known as the Thorian. Several other experiments stemming from this main priority exist. Testing spore samples. Testing excretion samples. Observing affects on human test subjects. Monitoring..."_

"Wait! Explain the human test subjects." Shepard demanded.

_"The ongoing observation and documentation of the affect of species 37 on the colonists at the Zhu's Hope observation post. There has been no new data to report for several cycles however as all monitoring equipment is currently offline."_

"Those bastards. They were using the colonists." Liara heatedly remarked.

"Tell me everything you know about the Thorian." Shepard ordered the VI.

_"The Thorian is a simple plant life-form that exhibits a sentient behavior that is uncommon with other flora. Through dispersion and the eventual inhalation of spores, it can infect and control other organisms, including humans. The Zhu's Hope control group has yielded interesting results. Before sensors went offline, almost 85% of test subjects were infected."_

"They knew what they were doing then." Shepard angrily stated.

_"It was deemed necessary to assess the true potential of species 37."_

"That explains their behavior." Tali commented.

"Where is the Thorian located?" Shepard asked.

_"Species 37 is located within the superstructure beneath the Zhu's Hope Colony."_

"We should contact Kaiden to warn them." Liara said.

Shepard agreed. "Kaiden. Come in, Kaiden." No response. "Williams, Uzumaki?" Nothing. "Damn, something is blocking our comms. VI, can you tell us anything about the communications blackout."

_"There are unusual power fluctuations within the facility but I am unable to determine the source. The beginning occurrence of these fluctuations coincides with the arrival of the Geth ship attached to the facility. These are strong enough to interfere with short range transmissions."_

"We probably need to get rid of that Geth ship to get our communications back, Shepard." Tali offered.

"Then let's get to it." Shepard stated.

The three of them made their way down the nearest hallway. When they were a good distance down the hall, they could see a larger room up ahead with a bright light. Slowly, they made their way up to the opening.

_'Well, we found part of the Geth ship.'_ Shepard thought.

Inside the room was a massive claw that had torn right through the wall to anchor itself. As they made their way further out, they could see unarmed Geth units bowing to a glowing orb near some of their equipment.

_'What the hell?'_ Shepard was puzzled. He turned to Tali to silently ask for an explanation.

Tali merely shrugged her shoulders but signaled Shepard to follow her lead. She crept slowly over to one of the units. Quickly and quietly, she attached a wire from her omni-tool to the base of the Geth's neck. Before it had a chance to react, Tali had overridden it's self destruct mechanism.

The other Geth unit sprung to life but was immediately smashed against the wall by Liara's biotic push.

Shepard looked over at Tali. "Did you find out anything?"

"Yes. They were... praying. I never thought the Geth would exhibit such behavior." She was clearly baffled.

"That's fascinating but I meant anything that can help us right now." Shepard said hoping he wasn't too harsh.

Tali was embarrassed by her momentary lapse. "Yes, of course. Sorry Shepard. I get carried away sometimes in my research that I forget where I am and then lose track of what I'm doing..."

Shepard placed a hand on her shoulder. She looked up into his eyes to see a disarming smile. "No worries, Tali."

She felt her heart beat a little faster. _'Keelah.'_

"But we really do need any information that can help." Shepard broke her from her daydream.

She shook her head to clear her thoughts. "Yes. Right. Accessing memory core." After a few moments she reported her findings. "It looks like we may be too late. Saren was here several hours ago and already found the Thorian."

"Damn. Did it say what he was after?" Shepard inquired.

"No. Either the information was deemed unimportant to the Geth or Saren did not tell them. He just ordered them to kill the Thorian and all the humans leaving no trace behind." Tali explained.

"Then we have to hurry." Liara cut in.

"Let's find a way to get rid of this ship so we can..."

Shepard was cut off as a loud screeching sound occurred. Metal was scrapping along the walls as the claw from the ship struggled to maintain a grip and was pulled back through the opening it made. Shepard carefully moved over to the edge to see that the Geth ship was now tumbling down towards the ground. Apparently someone had taken it out.

The comm immediately lit up.

"Shepard! Can you hear me? This is Williams. Are you there?" Ashley could be heard.

"I'm reading you. We just got communications back up." Shepard replied.

"Yea, same here. You can thank Naruto for that." Ashley explained.

"Really. What did he do?"

"Basically he used that sword of his to hack off one of the claws of the ship. The whole thing just fell after that. It must've been blocking our signal."

Liara just shook her head with a smile. "That sounds like something Naruto would do."

"Good work you two. Meet back at the entrance. We found out what is causing the colonists' behavior. There's a creature underneath Zhu's Hope called the Thorian that can control humans through its spores." Shepard replied.

"What? That's crazy." Ashley shouted over the comm.

Shepard was about to respond but Joker cut in. "...I repeat Normandy to shore party. Come in, Commander, are you there? Someone talk to me."

"This is Shepard. We were blacked out by a Geth jammer. What's the situation?"

"We're in lockdown here, Commander. Something happened to the colonists. They're banging on the hull trying to claw their way inside the ship. They're freaking out!" Joker frantically replied.

"Where's Kaiden? Any word from him?" Shepard was worried.

"Negative, Commander. Wrex was able to get back in the ship but we lost contact with Kaiden and Garrus about 10 minutes ago."

Shepard tried to raise him on the comm. "Kaiden, come in. Alenko, answer me." Nothing from the other end. "We need to hurry back. Let's grab Lizbeth on the way out and get some answers from Jeong. This whole shit storm is ExoGeni's doing."

The three man team made their way back to the entrance of the facility. The whole time though, Shepard was worried about what happened to Kaiden, Wrex and Garrus.

_'I'm sure they're fine but I'm done with the secrets for today. Someone is going to answer for this.'_

* * *

_20 Minutes Ago_

Kaiden continued to guard the colony as ordered but he was growing increasingly nervous. The colonists were acting even more erratic than before. He made his way over to Garrus.

"I don't know what's going on but be ready to move if this goes bad." Kaiden quietly said.

"What do you think they're doing?" Garrus asked referring to the colonists.

They observed them shuffling about moving things in a highly efficient pattern. They were working in unison as if they were bees in a hive.

"No idea. I'll go tell Wrex to be ready also." Kaiden made his way over to the other entrance.

Wrex noticed him. "Any word from Shepard yet?"

"Not yet. I just came over to give you the heads up to move quickly out of the colony if something happens. We can't attack them. They may be under someone else's control. Just be ready for anything." Kaiden explained.

Wrex tilted his shotgun to rest on his shoulder. "Can't kill em? Where's the fun in that?" He stated with a laugh.

Kaiden shook his head hoping the Krogan was just joking around. He decided to report to Joker since Shepard was still blacked out.

"Normandy, come in."

"Normandy here. What's happening, Kaiden?" Joker replied.

"Nothing new to report. Same vibe as earlier. Be ready for anything." Kaiden stated.

"You got it."

Kaiden was about to continue when several colonists opened fire on him. "Shit!"

Garrus and Wrex took cover in their respective hallways. Kaiden was caught out in the open though.

_'I have to move quickly or I'm toast.' _He thought.

He had already taken a few shots that dropped his shields. Another blast caught him in the arm. Thankfully his armor held. He dove for cover just as another shot struck home against his wrist. Fortunately and unfortunately, it hit his omni-tool.

_'Shit. I won't be able to warn Joker.'_ Kaiden thought as he continued moving away.

As he was running, he remembered Naruto's training. Chakra began flowing through his entire body freely. He pumped a bit into his senses as Naruto showed him to heighten his awareness. He sped his way through the colony towards the hallways. Several colonists impeded his path though.

"You must be destroyed. It has demanded this." One of them shouted before opening fire.

Kaiden watched as everything around him slowed down. He was mesmerized by what was happening. He could see the path to take out each of the colonists before him. Kaiden was able to easily dodge the shots and move quickly up to each of them. With a well placed hit, he knocked out the three that were firing upon him. When they had dropped to the ground, everything sped up again.

_'What the hell was that?!'_ He thought. _'Naruto never said anything like that would happen.'_

He felt fatigued after he had his super speed episode but the colonists were forming up to swarm him.

_'I have to get out of here.'_

Using what energy he had left, he made a super jump up to the top of the freighter they were using for shelter. He ran along top and did a flying somersault towards the hallway that led down to the tunnels. Inside he saw Garrus returning fire to keep the colonists back.

"You trying to show up Uzumaki now? When did you learn to move like that?" Garrus asked between shots.

Kaiden tried to catch his breath. "Who do you think taught me?"

They both saw 20 or so colonists making a run at their position.

"I won't be able to hold them off without killing them." Garrus announced.

"Then we need to fall back. Let's head for the tunnels. Hopefully the Geth really are gone from there." Kaiden stated.

Garrus covered them as they moved quickly towards the tunnels.

_'Shepard better get back here soon. Things are getting out hand really fast.'_ Kaiden thought.

As soon as he thought that, Garrus and Kaiden were ambushed by a group of strange, green creatures.

"What the hell are those?" Garrus shouted as he was swarmed.

A tentacle burst from a wall and sprayed Kaiden and Garrus with a cloud of spores. They couldn't help but inhale them. Both of them were coughing profusely.

"I can't… breathe." Kaiden exclaimed.

"Argh!" Was all Garrus could manage.

They both felt their consciousness fading. Within in a few moments, they were out cold. Neither of them saw several of the colonists drag them down into the depths of the colony.

* * *

_Present time_

Shepard and company were quickly returning to the colony in the Mako. He was pushing the tank as fast as it could go around the remaining Geth defenses. They just got done speaking with Jeong and the rest of the ExoGeni workers after they returned Lizbeth to her mother.

"You should have let me kill him." Naruto insisted.

Shepard merely shrugged. "Wouldn't have solved anything. He was a penny-pushing, prick but ultimately useless. It would have been a waste of time to kill Jeong."

"It would have made me feel better. Using the colonists as test subjects for some creature that can control minds? That's pretty high up on the fucked-up-shit-o-meter." Naruto continued to grumble.

"Well at least Juliana gave us a nerve gas that may disable the colonists. With luck, we won't have to kill them." Liara spoke up.

"Let's hope it works." Shepard stated. He addressed Naruto again. "By the way, you never explained how you took out the Geth ship."

"Very carefully." Was Naruto's only response.

Apparently that was all he was going to get out of him so he continued driving towards the colony. They pulled up to the entrance doorway and got out of the vehicle when they noticed some sort of creature hunched over next to it.

"What the hell is that?" Ashley commented.

The creature was a green humanoid with a slimy complexion. It appeared to be covered in some kind of ooze. The eyes were hollowed out and from its hands were sharp, protruding claws. It was a fairly gruesome sight to behold. Without warning, the thing stood up and charged towards the group.

"Great, the Thorian made zombies." Naruto deadpanned.

Shepard blasted it with his shotgun and watched as it tumbled to the ground. Thinking it was over, he turned back to the team only to hear a growling noise behind him. He watched as the creature started to rise again.

"You forgot rule #2, Shep. Always double tap." Naruto said as he popped a shell into the skull of the monster. He promptly walked over and unloaded again in its head to make sure it was down.

"Well hopefully there are no more of those things right?" Tali said with a nervous laugh. "Right?"

Shepard opened the door leading to the colony. Inside were at least 50 of these zombie-like creatures hunched over waiting for an intruder to come along.

"Well shit." Ashley stated bluntly.

"By the goddess." Liara muttered.

They all began to rise and turned menacingly towards the team.

"Move people!" Shepard shouted as he sprinted inside.

The Commander led the way blasting every creeper that got in his way but several took the shot and kept coming. As they got closer, the creepers began spewing acid from their mouths.

"These things are a nightmare!" Tali screeched.

Liara fought them back with her biotic push but it only knocked them over. Tali fired a few rounds from her SMG to finish them off in their weakened state. Ashley was ripping through a dozen or so with her assault rifle doing a pretty good job of cleaning them up but there were still too many of them.

"We're going to get overrun out here!" Ashley exclaimed.

"I'm on it. Over here you ugly bastards." Naruto attempted to get their attention off of the team. He sprinted over to a corner having successfully attracted half of the creepers.

The remaining four members moved up and took out two of the colonists with the nerve gas. They got into position behind a barricade to help pick off some of the creepers advancing on Naruto.

"Whatever you're planning, Uzumaki, now would be a good time." Shepard shouted.

Naruto slammed his hands down on the ground. "Swamp of the Underworld, bitches!"

The concrete base beneath the feet of the creepers changed to a thick, gooey substance. There was a liquid brown matter bubbling up from out of nowhere. The creepers couldn't escape the muddy surroundings as they were all slowly sucked into the ground. When the last creeper had been pulled under, Naruto ceased the jutsu and the ground returned to concrete once more.

Naruto made his way up to the team as quickly as he could but was clearly winded. They all gave him a dumbfounded look.

Between breaths, he noticed them all staring. "What?"

"You're one scary guy, Naruto." Shepard stated while shaking his head.

"Nah, I'm harmless. But hey, that was pretty cool wasn't it." He said with a cocky grin.

Liara found herself amazed yet again. "It seems I never knew the half of what you could do. You are incredible."

"Flattery will get you everywhere, my dear." He replied with a smirk.

She smiled back in an unassuming way. _'Same old Naruto.'_

"Come on, people. We got a giant, mind-controlling plant monster to kill. Focus." Ashley broke in again.

Shepard simply smiled at her behavior. "You heard the lady. Let's move out."

The team made their way back up the elevator towards the colony. Once they reached the top, they were greeted by more creepers.

"We probably shouldn't be surprised at this point." Shepard sarcastically commented.

They all opened fire to quickly lay waste to the handful of enemies. Moving quietly along the hallways, the team progressed towards the colony. As they approached the entrance hallway, they were greeted by a hail of gunfire from the colonists.

"They really aren't making it easy to save them are they?" Ashley stated from cover.

"We have to try. Toss these grenades in there." Shepard handed some nerve gas grenades to Ashley.

"Nightie-night, weirdoes." She said as she lobbed them into a large group.

The colonists didn't even react to the grenades being tossed their way. The explosion created a large cloud of the gas disabling most of the colonists and exploding several of the creepers on contact.

"Well that's helpful. Push forward, we need to secure the area." Shepard ordered.

After several more minutes of fighting, the team easily disabled the colonists and removed the last of the creepers.

"Good work." Shepard stated. He then switched to his comm. "Shepard to Normandy. We've secured the colony. Any word from Kaiden yet?"

Joker replied. "Negative, Commander. Still no word."

Shepard was getting worried. "We should have seen him by now. Have Wrex meet us here. We may need the extra fire power."

"Maybe they got the jump on him and Garrus. I feel life forms several meters below us. Hopefully they're just being held captive for now." Naruto commented.

"Keep your eyes open for them. Let's get that freighter out of the way of the staircase. Lizbeth said the crane over there is what they used to cover it up." Shepard ordered.

Tali worked the crane as it lifted the freighter hull out of the way. Just as she was finishing up, Wrex walked in.

"Someone need something killed?" Wrex said.

"Just the usual. Zombie infestation. Giant, plant monsters. You know that sort of thing." Naruto casually stated.

Wrex turned to the Commander. "It's never boring with you, Shepard."

"Let's keep it simple. If you see those creeper things, kill em. Keep an eye out for Kaiden and Garrus. Let's go find this weed." Shepard declared.

Before they pressed on though they saw someone shuffling towards them.

"I tried to fight it… but it gets in your head. You can't imagine the pain." Fai Dan stammered.

"Fai Dan." He turned to Liara. "Do we have any more nerve gas?"

"I'm sorry, Shepard. There are no more grenades." She regretfully told him.

He turned back to Fai Dan. "Stay back. I don't want to kill you."

Fai Dan ignored him. "I was… supposed to be their leader. These people trusted me."

"And they can trust you again. You have to fight it." Shepard pleaded.

Naruto could see this wasn't going anywhere. "He can't help it, Shep. The Thorian has him."

Fai Dan aimed the gun at Shepard. Everyone on the team trained their guns at Fai Dan.

"Stand down people. I'll handle this." Shepard ordered.

"It wants me… to kill you… but I won't!" Fai Dan shouted has he brought the barrel towards his own head.

Shepard moved to stop him but Naruto had already beaten him there. Naruto quickly removed the gun from Fai Dan's hand and restrained his arms behind his back.

"You must understand. I can't... stop its commands. I have to obey or... or the pain is intolerable." Fai Dan begged.

"I know." Naruto sympathized. "But this colony will need a leader once we end this." He then pinched a nerve in Fai Dan's neck knocking him out.

Shepard was relieved. "Good work. I didn't think he'd try to kill himself. I wouldn't have been able to stop him."

"Let's just end this thing. I don't know if we'll be able to reason with it. Either way, this plant needs to be dealt with." Naruto grimly said.

The team made their way down the staircase into the superstructure beneath Zhu's Hope. They carefully pushed forward hoping to see any signs of the Thorian. There were vines growing on many of the walls. Hideously deformed flower like growths protruded from many of the vines.

"Interesting. It must use these flower-like extensions as a way to know its environment. It may be a way for a plant to see so to speak." Liara hypothesized.

"Then it probably knows we're coming." Shepard commented.

As they progressed further, they came to a large chamber. In the center was an enormous plant-like creature with several tentacles latching onto the adjacent walls for support. The mouth, for lack of a better term, began to move as the tendrils secreted ooze from the opening. A green Asari was regurgitated from it.

Shiala began to speak to Shepard's team. **"Invaders! Your every step is a transgression. A thousand feelers appraise you as meat, good only to dig or decompose."**

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "And you are?"

**"I speak for the Old Growth as I did for Saren. You are within and before the Thorian. It commands that you be in awe."**

"Awesome, a plant with a god complex. I guess it's not the weirdest thing I've ever encountered." Naruto commented.

Shepard addressed the Asari. "You spoke to Saren. What did you tell him?"

**"Saren sought knowledge of those who are gone. The Old Growth listened to flesh for the first time in a long cycle. Trades were made. Then cold ones began killing the flesh that would tend the next cycle. Flesh fairly given! The Old Growth sees the air you push as lies. It will listen no more!"**

"Look, all I want is the knowledge you gave Saren. You give me that, you're free to go." Shepard lied.

Naruto looked like he was ready to say something but Shepard stared him down. Naruto decided to let him try it his way.

**"No more will the Thorian listen to those that scurry. Your lives are short but have gone on for far too long."** Shiala angrily decried.

Dozens of creepers sprung to life and swarmed the group.

"Finally! Some Action!" Wrex proclaimed as he fired happily away with his shotgun.

Naruto made quick work of the few creepers near him with his sword. Ashley was holding her own but Tali and Liara were being overwhelmed. One of the creepers pounced on Liara's back.

"Ahhh!" Liara screamed.

Naruto moved quickly and kicked the creeper off of her. She was a bit shaken up. "You alright?"

"Yes, of course. Thank you, my friend." Liara genuinely said.

While he was distracted though, the Thorian sprayed a cloud of spores onto the two of them from one of the flower nodes overhead.

"Shit. Helmets. Everyone, now!" Shepard ordered.

Shepard and Ashley equipped their helmets quickly. Tali of course already had one. Krogan's didn't seem to be affected as Wrex kept on killing creepers. Naruto and Liara were feeling woozy though.

"Well… this certainly… sucks." Naruto said as he stumbled to the ground.

Liara turned to Naruto as she was fading. She reached up to hold his face. "I… should have… never… let you…" She fell unconscious before she could finish.

Naruto couldn't fight the urge to sleep any longer and collapsed next to her. He couldn't even get a one-liner out.

"Naruto!" Ashley frantically screamed as she raced over to his body. "Shepard, help me!"

"Busy here."

Shepard was currently fighting off more creepers that climbed up from somewhere and contending with Shiala who was an Asari Commando. He, Wrex and Tali were doing everything they could to fend them off but there was no end in sight.

"They just keep coming!" Tali exclaimed.

"Ha, Ha! Bring em on!" Wrex yelled.

Ashley was doing everything she could to revive Naruto. "Come on. You have to be ok. Please. Please don't leave me." She whispered at the end.

Things didn't look good. But just when they thought it couldn't get worse, two figures emerged from an adjacent hallway.

"Kaiden! Garrus! You're ok." Shepard exclaimed. He then took a closer look at the two. They were struggling against some force.

"Commander… we can't hold back." Kaiden said as he raised his gun towards them.

"I'm… sorry, Shepard. We can't… control… our actions." Garrus apologetically stated.

Shepard decided to try one last attempt to bargain with the Thorian. "Enough!" He shouted towards Shiala. "You have us pinned down. We only wanted to get back at Saren the same as you. Can there be a truce?"

Shiala responded for the Thorian. **"Truce? No truce."**

"What is it you want from us then?" Shepard begged.

**"It wants you to DIE!"**

* * *

Naruto awoke in a sewer.

_'I haven't been here in ages. You'd think it wouldn't still be a sewer after all this time though.'_

His mindscape had changed quite a bit from the days of his youth. While it was still a sewer, it had much better lighting down each hallway. He made his way into the great chamber that once held the nine tailed fox. Now there was only an empty cage with an open door as a reminder of his long lost friend.

_'I do miss you sometimes, Kurama. You'd have had some snide remarks to make about this bizarre life I've had. Plus you'd totally be pissed that I named a sword after you.'_ Naruto thought with a sigh.

He could feel a foreign presence though. Navigating further down into the tunnels he saw the Thorian, or its manifestation anyway, in his mind. As he approached it, tentacle vines wrapped around his legs and arms to restrain him. Naruto didn't seem worried though.

"So, to what do I owe the honor of this visit?" He asked of the creature.

**"Puny, fleshbag. Tremble at my power!"** The Thorian bellowed in a deep voice.

The mindscape shook but ultimately maintained its form.

Naruto merely raised an eyebrow at its behavior. "That it?"

**"You will obey my commands. You are my thrall to do as I say. My every wish is your goal to achieve."**

"Uh huh. So let's say I do that, what is it you're trying to achieve here?"

**"My vegeance will be quenched. All flesh bags will feel my wrath!" **

"I have to tell you, for a plant with a god complex and impressive mind control capabilities, you're boring as fuck. Vegeance? Wrath? Come on." Naruto scoffed. "You're lucky to even be alive for how isolated you've been. Instead of trying to coexist, you try to control."

**"Acceptance from flesh bags matters not. You are mine to control." **

The Thorian attempted to inflict pain on Naruto's mind but was having no affect. Naruto was done talking. He shred the vines as easily as air and launched a chakra laden punch straight to the Thorian's face.

"Err... I guess it's your face. Whatever." He continued pummeling the plant within his mindscape.

**"NO! This cannot be! I control flesh bags! You are mine!"**

"Sorry, ugly. You ain't the first to try and you're certainly not the best. I run the show in here. Lets see how you like it when my mind pummels yours."

Naruto charged a rasenshuriken in his mind and launched it at the Thorian. The creature howled in agony as its manifestation was slowly disintegrated.

**"RAAAAawwwwrrr..."** Its screeching roar slowly faded away until nothing remained.

"Easy enough." Naruto said while wiping his hands clean.

He was preparing to return to the outer world when he heard a terrible growl from deep within the tunnels of his mindscape. His face turned serious.

_'Oh fuck.'_

Black, demonic energy began creeping through the hallways towards his position. A voice echoed in the deep.

**"I sense you dear warden. You dared to enter my realm have you? Very soon, I will tear your flesh from bone and feast upon everything you hold dear!"**

Naruto had a sarcastic reply. "Nice to see you haven't changed a bit, Juubi."

* * *

Back in reality, time had not passed but a second.

Shepard was getting ready to defend his team when suddenly the Thorian began violently gyrating. All of the creepers fell to the ground while Shiala, Garrus and Kaiden grabbed their skulls in agony.

**"Gahhh!"** Shiala screamed. **"No! The Old Growth cannot be defeated."**

Shepard didn't know what was going on but he saw an opportunity. "Ash, Tali, Wrex, follow me. We need to find a way to kill it."

They started firing at any part of the Thorian they could see. Nothing seemed to be doing damage until Ashley took out what appeared to be a membrane node of some kind.

The Thorian screeched loudly in pain.

"You feel that you bastard!" Ashley angrily shouted.

"Keep moving. Let's find more of these nodes and take them out." Shepard ordered.

The Thorian was still disoriented and unable to send any creepers to defend itself. Shepard, Ashley, Wrex and Tali systematically destroyed all of the nodes they could find. The Thorian finally let out a horrific howl as its tendrils were losing their grip on the walls. It plummeted to the depths of the ancient Prothean structure never to return.

"Thank god that's over with." Tali said with relief.

Ashley remembered their wounded teammates. "Naruto!"

She ran back to the area where they were downed. Garrus, Liara and Kaiden were slowly coming to.

"Man, I feel like a frigate just collided with my skull." Kaiden stated while gripping his head.

"I think drinking might be a requirement to recover from this one." Garrus offered.

"By the goddess. That was a most unusual experience. I never would have thought that it could do that to myself and... Naruto!" Liara quickly turned to see the blonde haired man still unconscious beside her.

Ashley came running up to him. "Wake up! Why isn't he waking up?"

Before anyone could take a look, a black demonic energy began pulsating from his body. Ashley and Liara jumped away from him as it burned to the touch.

"What's happening to him?!" Ashley screamed.

"Stand back everyone!" Shepard ordered.

After a few moments, the energy dissipated and Naruto returned to normal. He opened his eyes to see everyone staring fearfully at him.

"So... what'd I miss?" He deflected.

"We killed the Thorian after it had some kind of spasm. After that, you were just glowing and giving off a really powerful energy." Shepard explained.

Naruto sighed. "Yea. That's a relic from my past coming back to haunt me."

"Well, this mission is a wrap. When we get back though, we need to talk." Shepard stared him down in a tone that bared no room for disagreement.

"I suppose we should." Naruto said with resignation.

As they were exiting the premises, the green Asari from before fell from one of the pods. She was slowly waking up.

"Wha... what happened?" Shiala asked clearly confused.

"Take her with us." Shepard ordered. "We can see what she knows later. I just want to get the hell out of here right now. I need a shower in the worst way."

As they were walking out, Naruto took up the rear to think about what he was going to tell Shepard. While he was deep in thought, he felt someone come up beside him and lean into his side.

"Hey there." Naruto quietly said to Ashley as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.

She made sure they were out of earshot from the rest of the team before she turned to face him. Ashley took off her helmet and leaned in for a full hug which he reciprocated. "Don't scare me like that again."

He just smiled into her hair. "No promises."

* * *

Phew. Feros is DONE! Thank god. I feel like I've spent a month there. A lot happened. Some of it standard plot points but hopefully I changed it up enough to be entertaining as the actual battle in the game was a bit anti-climactic and repetitive. There's also some juicy Naruto points in there. again, hopefully enough to keep you intrigued.

I've read the chapter a dozen times or so and cleaned up as many errors as I could but I'm sure there's still a few in there. Point them out to me if you'd like so I can correct them. As always, if you like what you see or just want to start a conversation, leave me a review. It's very easy. The big text box right below these words is just there for you to type something in. In like 5 seconds. Seriously.

Next chapter, we return to the Citadel for supplies and SIDE QUESTS! It's going to be a lot more entertaining than it sounds... I hope.


	7. Good Times, Bad Times

Welcome back! Big chapter this time. The largest one yet at over 10k words. Hopefully this will make up for being a day later than my usual. To set it up, this is more of an interlude chapter setting up some future content. There are some funs scenes within though so don't think it doesn't have some juicy additions. I think you will enjoy them. So read on! Go on. Do It. (Picture Ben Stiller from Starsky and Hutch) Do it.

Also congrats to **jared ramirez 94! **He successfully identified the chapter title from chapters 5 and 6. _A Certain Shade of Green_ is a song by **Incubus** off of their album _S.C.I.E.N.C.E. _So good on you for knowing that. This chapter title should be easier to get as it is from a well known band. Good luck.

Disclaimer: Still don't own Naruto or Mass Effect. Wouldn't be typing this from my work if I did. I'd be typing it on a large pile of money with many beautiful women.

* * *

Good Times, Bad Times

Once every two weeks, the Illusive Man liked to check in with his subordinates directly to keep tabs on the numerous projects they were working on. He still of course received notifications of anything major occurring but for the most part he staggered his check-ins so that he did a certain number each day. They would range from biological and technological R&D, to weapons manufacturing, to political manipulations, to good old fashioned sabotage and subterfuge. Cerberus had nearly one hundred different projects running across a dozen or so cells at once and nearly all of them were unaware of any of the others' activities. Only one man knew everything about Cerberus.

"How soon do you expect results from the subjects ExoGeni supplied us?" The Illusive Man asked one of his unnamed scientists.

"Within the week, sir."A hologram of the anonymous scientist responded.

"Good. I want the results uploaded as soon as possible."

With that the hologram faded away. The Illusive Man was curious to see the data comparing the Thorian creepers to human husks.

_'The research facility on Chasca should have completed the transformation phase on the pioneers there. Hopefully we can find some similarities to that of the creepers. It's unfortunate but the data we'll gather from their sacrifice is vital to finding out the capabilities of the Reapers.'_ He thought.

The Illusive Man was nothing if not meticulous. He could juggle all of his projects with ease while fully maintaining the big picture to keep his people on task. While this level of micromanagement left his organization vulnerable should he ever be compromised, his goal was too important to be left up to others.

_'Onto the next project then. Let's see. Yes, the AI research team on Aite.' _He contemplated as he perused his agenda.

He made the call and a Cerberus researcher sprung to life as a hologram in the Illusive Man's office.

"Ah, Gavin. Good to see you." The Illusive Man greeted cordially. He was very personable with certain people.

"Good morning, sir. I have the report ready when you would like." The researcher, Dr. Gavin Archer, replied attempting to get to the point.

"Straight to business as always." The Illusive Man said with a disarming chuckle. "Let's have it then."

"With the results from the latest test, I'd say that we're looking at a total loss on this, sir."Dr. Archer reported.

The Illusive Man casually took a drag from his cigarette, his demeanor suddenly more serious. "And you are certain there is no way we can recreate the subject?"

"I am." Gavin stated bluntly.

The Illusive Man did not get to where he was by accepting failure but he also knew the value of intelligent people. He was not some mad man who would kill underlings for failing to achieve results on a semi-impossible task. That was wasteful. Besides, how else would they be able to redeem themselves?

"That is a shame. The console found on the Citadel looked to be our best chance yet to capture and control a true Artificial Intelligence." He stated calmly.

"The console was just too badly damaged, sir. If it did fully form into an AI, we cannot tell. It very well could have triggered a self destruct sequence as a means of defense but that hardly gives us conclusive data to determine if it had achieved AI status or if it was a built in protocol for a VI. We scoured the data banks for any traces but there was nothing useable from the salvage." The scientist again explained.

"This is a setback but only a minor one. I have other leads for the project and I will be sending you a new subject within the week for analysis." The Illusive Man explained.

"Understood, sir. Whom should I be expecting to deliver this subject?" Archer asked.

"Skye Turnick is currently working on extracting the target from its current location. I'll spare you the details but he will be in route once his task is completed."

The hologram of Archer shivered. "Turnick, sir? I thought you only kept him for the gruesome jobs."

"He can be a little extreme but he is an excellent infiltrator as well. I needed this done quickly and done right. There are only a handful of people I can trust to do that. He will be bringing you something very valuable shortly. That will be all then." The Illusive Man dismissed him.

The hologram faded away. A few clicks on his chair's omni-pad brought up a new hologram. The aforementioned, Skye Turnick became visible.

"Turnick, report." He demanded with authority.

The Illusive Man knew what each of his personnel needed when addressing them. Some required light banter to disarm their insecurities. Others required a nurturing parental figure. Some though needed a brute dictator to let them know what the pecking order was.

"I've infiltrated Luna base, sir. The VI has the place on lockdown. Really weird shit is going on here." Turnick vaguely described.

"Could you be a bit more specific?" The Illusive Man knew of Turnick's lack of respect for those in charge but he could feel his infinite patience slipping every time he spoke to his operative.

"Well it's not just the drones and weapons systems that have been taken over by the rogue VI. The humans manning the station have been turned into cybernetic freaks. They look like abominations and that's saying a lot coming from me." Skye said with a small laugh.

The Illusive Man tried to keep him on task. "Any idea where they came from?"

"No idea. I haven't been able to get all the way down to the VI core. It's locked down tighter than a senator's daughter's virgin pussy." Turnick colorfully responded.

"So you're saying you've been there a week and have made no progress." The Illusive Man let his words sink in for a second.

"Hey it's not like I'm not trying here. You should see these things. I feel like it knows where I am at all times. Any move I make, I'm surrounded within seconds. So far it hasn't sent its drones out to get me this far back." Skye pleaded his case.

After another drag from his cig, The Illusive Man responded. "You have 48 hours to wrap this up, Turnick. After that, don't bother showing up on any habitable world again."

He severed the connection. While Turnick was one of his best operatives, he needed ultimatums to get him motivated. Should he fail of course, he wasn't above carrying out the threat. Intelligent people he needed. Hired muscle was always replaceable. The research on Luna base was too valuable to be lost.

_'The Alliance fools had no idea what they were doing when they tried to create an AI. The hell they might have unleashed on Earth from right next door on the moon is unimaginable and unforgiveable. I need to take that research for my own. It may hold the key to controlling the Geth and helping us fight back against the Reapers.'_

He turned to stare out at the Anadius star and considered everything that was at stake. Rarely did he take the time to reflect but when he did, it only fueled his passion further. He turned back towards his desk.

_'The day's work is never done.'_

* * *

Back on the Normandy, Shepard's Special Forces team had just finished their debriefing on the Feros mission. Not much was learned about where the Conduit may be but they had captured an Asari Commando who was working for Benezia. She was currently unconscious in the Med Bay under constant guard.

_'She'll have a lot of explaining to do when she wakes up.'_ Shepard thought.

As everyone exited the room, Joker spoke up over the comm. "Commander, I filed the Feros report. Would you like me to patch you into the Council?"

Shepard sighed. He knew this was going to be annoying but it had to be done. "Let's get this over with."

The three figures of the Council appeared as holograms in the debriefing room.

"Commander, we've read the report from Feros. ExoGeni should have told us about the Thorian. It would have made your job easier." The Asari councilor began.

_'Yea, no shit.'_ Shepard kept to himself. "What's done is done. Luckily we handled the situation and no one was hurt."

"Yes, it's too bad though. You might have been able to capture it for study instead of destroying it." The Salarian councilor added.

"I understand your inquisitive mind, councilor, but if you had met the thing face to face, you'd have realized that this being would not have cooperated. It needed to be killed." Shepard insisted.

"Yes, kill it." The Turian Councilor sarcastically added. "That's how you humans usually deal with things you don't understand."

"Well next time I run into an ancient creature that can manipulate minds and use people as tools, I'll arrange a sit down for you to _talk it out_ with it. I'd love to see what kind of _understanding_ you come to." Was Shepard's smartass reply.

"Watch your tone, Shepard." The Turian fumed. "You answer to the Council, not the other way around."

"Then don't waste my time with your bigoted grudges." Shepard shot back.

"Enough!" The Asari Councilor cut in. "It's for the best that the Thorian was eliminated. The colony is safe now."

The Turian councilor scoffed. "Of course it was saved. Shepard would go to any lengths to save a _human_ colony."

Shepard seethed for a moment but kept his cool. "Anyway, the mission was a success. We now have a lead on Saren's activities. The Asari Commando under Benezia will be waking shortly and she _will_ provide us with answers."

"That's good Commander. Stopping Saren is your primary goal. Everything else is secondary." The Salarian councilor stated.

"Goodbye, Councilors." He then severed the connection.

_'Like pulling teeth dealing with those bastards.' _Shepard thought._ 'I better go see if this Asari is awake.'_

* * *

In the Med Bay, Dr. Chakwas was just finishing up her analysis on the green Asari. Four of the crew's guards were posted around her table. She was secured to the bed and was receiving a mild anesthetic to keep her from using her biotics when she woke up.

Shiala was struggling inside her mind currently. The cipher she received from the Thorian combined with the mental conditioning from the plant monster was causing her to go crazy. When the creature suddenly died, it triggered her body to go into temporary shock upon exiting the containment pod. She was beginning to wake up but had no idea where she was.

_'I was... inside that thing. I... can't remember why...' _She struggled to recall. _'There were... humans there... and other species... they killed it... they freed me. That blonde human... he fought it off. The Thorian... had no power over him.'_

She was coming too as all the medical equipment began buzzing with life.

Dr. Chakwas took notice and casually greeted her. "Welcome back. You had a most unpleasant experience from what I've heard."

Shiala tried to move but she realized she was restrained. She attempted to channel her biotics but felt them being inhibited.

"Why have you restrained me?" She angrily stated.

"Commander's orders. From what he's told me, you are to be considered a hostile enemy combatant. Please try to relax. I'll inform him that you're... Oh here he is now." Chakwas finished as Shepard walked in through the Med Bay doors.

Shiala noticed the human male. He looked strong and commanded the respect and attention of everyone in the room. He walked up to her with a purpose.

"I see you've survived." Shepard began.

"I suppose I have." Shiala carefully replied.

He turned to the guards. "Have the restraints removed. Doctor, please stop the anesthetic." Shepard ordered.

"Are you sure, Commander?" Chakwas questioned.

"You have that little faith in me, doc?" Shepard joked.

"I'd just rather not have to patch you up should she prove unfriendly to your hospitality." Chakwas said as she removed the IV.

Shiala was beginning to feel normal again. Her head wasn't clouded with the foreign drug but it still had echoes from outside sources trying to compel her.

_'They don't have control over me anymore. At least the Thorian broke their hold on my mind.'_

Shepard addressed his crew. "If I could have some privacy with our guest here."

The guards were hesitant but trusted their Commander. They quickly made their way out of the room. Dr. Chakwas gave a lingering look just before she closed the door.

Shepard was trying to appear unthreatening and inviting to hopefully coax information out of the Asari.

"We were able to patch you up from your experience with the Thorian." Shepard began. "I'm John Shepard. I never caught your name before you passed out back on Feros."

"Shiala." Was her brief reply.

"Well, Shiala, it seems we are in a position to help each other here. You have information on Saren that I need and I can clear you of any wrong doing you were a part of for following him." Shepard offered.

"I followed Lady Benezia." She sharply stated. "I didn't realize how easily that turned into serving Saren as well though." Shiala replied much quieter clearly disappointed in herself.

"So you willingly followed Saren then?" Shepard inquired.

"No. It was more subtle than that. My loyalty was to Benezia. I had followed her for centuries. When she joined forces with Saren it was only after she first tried to steer him down a different path. Over time though, we came to believe in his cause. He was very... compelling."

"Compelling? So you're saying he can control minds?" Shepard was trying to understand her.

"I believe so. Saren has a warship unlike any I have ever seen. He calls it Sovereign. It has the ability to dominate the minds of those Saren wishes. They become indoctrinated to Saren's will. The process is slight. It can take days or weeks but in the end, it is absolute." Shiala explained.

This was very disturbing information. "Were you able to break free or do you still follow his cause?"

"The Thorian took over my mind and reprogrammed me to follow its wishes. I still hear the voice of Sovereign in my head but it is muted thanks to the Thorian's intervention. I was a slave to the plant though. It was the blonde one that killed the Thorian's mind. He severed my connection to it. Now that it is dead, I no longer follow any one else's will."

"The blonde one? You must mean Naruto. What did he do?" Shepard was confused.

"When I was still linked to the Thorian, I could see everyone's mind that it touched. The Thorian tried to take control of the blonde man but he shrugged off its efforts like they were nothing. He then took the fight to the Thorian's mind where it was not prepared for retaliation. I think that attack allowed me and all the others to break free from its control."

_'I'll have to ask Naruto about it.'_ Shepard didn't seem convinced but moved on to the topic at hand. "So what was it that Saren needed from the Thorian?"

While he was talking, Shiala stretched out to become more comfortable. She took on a seductive pose either by instinct or to purposefully distract Shepard. He had an exceptionally strong will though. He would not be manipulated by simple tricks.

_'If the circumstances were different but business before pleasure here.'_ Shepard reminded himself.

Shiala finally spoke. "Saren needed a cipher from the Thorian to help translate the Prothean language. This would allow him to understand the vision from the beacon on Eden Prime."

Shepard immediately became interested. "I need that information. Are you willing to provide it to me?"

Shiala thought of her predicament. She was on board an Alliance vessel and most likely couldn't escape without certain death. Plus, these people technically saved her from Saren's grasp.

_'So in essence, I do owe them a debt.' _Shiala thought.

"Without your timely arrival, I would have been nothing more than a slave. Either to the Thorian or to Saren. So I thank you for that. As a token of that thanks, I would be more than happy to give you the cipher."

Shepard was relieved. "Thank you. A lot of lives are at stake. So how should we do this?"

"The easiest way is to meld our minds to share the data. Are you familiar with the Asari mental connection?" Shiala asked.

Shepard thought back to when Liara melded with him. It was a highly personal experience. They shared their minds for a brief moment. All their feelings and thoughts. Liara later explained that it was usually reserved for partners to enhance their sexual encounters.

"I have. It's often used in mating isn't it?" Shepard smirked at the green Asari.

Shiala gave a seductive smile back. "Often, but not always. Maybe later, Shepard."

"Tempting, but let's just have the info for now." Shepard turned serious.

Shiala mocked a saddened look. "So disappointing. Alright, try to relax, Shepard. Slow, deep breaths. Let go of your physical shell."

She gracefully strolled up to him. "Reach out to grasp the threads that bind us, one to another."

She sensually caressed his arms. "Every action sends ripples across the galaxy. Every idea must touch another mind to live."

Her hands moved up to caress his face as she gazed into his eyes. "Each emotion must mark another's spirit."

Shepard couldn't help but notice the differences between Liara's and Shiala's version of the mind meld. _'She's just about ready to make out with me. Maybe I need to practice again with Liara later. Urgh, wait, bad Shepard. Focus.'_

Shiala continued as she ran her fingers through his hair. "Every living being united in a single glorious existence."

He could feel his mind relax in preparation for the transfer. She finally arrived at the point of the melding.

"Open yourself to the universe, Shepard and embrace eternity!"

Shiala's eyes turned black as the information from the cipher flooded Shepard's mind. The vision he had from Eden Prime flashed through his head again. It was less painful this time but still just as intense. The images were much clearer but still didn't make much sense. He knew what was being said but not the context. He still lacked basic data to clarify it.

After a few moments, Shiala collapsed into Shepard's arms. He gently held her while she recovered her strength. She took a few deep breaths and then looked up at him.

"You are an incredible person. Your mind is unlike many I have seen. Perhaps the only one possessing the strength of will stronger is that teammate of yours, Naruto you called him." She explained with a smile.

Shepard was still cradling her in his arms as he looked down at her. _'Probably need to get out of this position before someone comes in here and gets the really wrong idea.'_

"You going to be ok?" He said as he stood her up and let go.

She was reluctant to be removed from his grasp but answered anyway. "Yes I will be fine."

"So what will you do now?" Shepard asked.

"Am I not to be detained?" Shiala was genuinely confused.

"Why? Would you like to be?" Shepard shot back.

"I know you said you'd let me go but I just assumed you would keep me locked up because of my actions."

"Is that why you were trying to seduce me?" He said with a smirk.

Shiala bashfully bowed her head. "Forgive me. My training includes many techniques in deception to avoid detection or allow for escape. I should have known you would be resistant to such an obvious ploy."

Shepard shook his head playfully. "Flattery doesn't work as well on me either but to answer your earlier question, no. You won't be detained. You've given me what I needed. You're free to go."

Shiala seemed impressed. "An honorable Spectre. I am amazed."

"Well, we can't all be mind altering megalomaniacs now can we?" Shepard joked.

Shiala smiled at his dark humor. "I suppose not. As for your question about what I will do, if you would allow it, I would like to pursue Lady Benezia and bring her back from Saren's grasp. My best chance to do that would be to follow you in your search."

Shepard became more serious. "That's asking a lot. You can't exactly be trusted what with being controlled once by Saren. How can I be certain you won't return to his side when the chance arises?"

"This is true. If I were in your position, I would be very skeptical. I don't have a way to assure you that I won't because honestly, I don't know myself. I still hear the whispers in my mind. Before they would compel my actions. Now they are just background noise thanks to the Thorian's influence. Still, I haven't been near Saren again. So I do not know how I would react." Shiala explained.

"I'll think it over. In the mean time, you can move about some areas of the ship. Certain areas will be off limits and the guards will let you know of them. We're heading to the Citadel so I'll let you know by the time we leave from there what my decision is." Shepard offered.

Shiala bowed her head. "Thank you, Shepard. You have been most gracious to me when you have no reason to be."

"Just don't make me regret my hospitality." Shepard said with utter conviction.

Shiala felt a shiver run down her spine. _'Such authority. He's not even controlling my mind but his presence commands me to obey. He is truly a powerful man.'_ She smiled. _'I need to get to know him better.'_

* * *

Down in the cargo bay, Naruto and Kaiden were continuing their training. Kaiden was meditating while attempting to gather his chakra as Naruto looked on.

"Good. It's definitely becoming more natural to you." Naruto commented.

Kaiden cut the flow of the chakra. "It is. During the mission, it was like I could do it on instinct. I channeled chakra to my legs to increase their strength like you showed me. It helped me get away initially when everything went crazy."

"Great! I guess we can try teaching you how to walk on walls then."

"Am I ready for that?" Kaiden asked a bit unsure.

Naruto shrugged. "It can't hurt. Well it can if you fall I guess. But I doubt you'd die. Pretty sure you wouldn't anyway. Just don't go too high and you'll be fine."

"That's very reassuring." Kaiden grumbled. He then remembered something he wanted to ask Naruto. "One other thing, during the last mission when the colonists turned on us, I had a moment where everything slowed down. I gained some kind of tunnel vision. I was able to move so fast it made everyone else seem like they were in slow motion."

Naruto turned to look at Kaiden, suddenly very serious. "What else did you feel?"

"I felt really drained afterwards. I barely made it out of there."

"Any headaches? Did your eyes hurt?"

"My eyes? I can't remember. I don't think so."

Naruto took in Kaidan's appearance critically; the jet black hair and dark pigmented eyes. _'No way. He can't be one of them. There's just no fucking way he's one of them.'_

"Do me a favor. Channel chakra to your eyes. I want to see something." Naruto requested.

Kaiden wasn't sure what it was for but did as asked. He channeled chakra to his eyes. His vision was increased. Minute details on the adjacent wall were able to be discerned from his current position way across the bay. "Wow. I didn't realize it worked like this too."

Naruto was waiting nervously for something to happen. After a few moments nothing did and he let out a sigh. "Thank god."

"What?" Kaiden was confused.

Naruto had a relieved laugh. "For a moment I thought you had acquired a trait from an ancient enemy of mine."

Kaiden didn't know what to think about that. "So I take it that's good that I didn't then?"

"Well, it was an incredible ability to use but the price was simply too high. It was called the Sharingan. It changed the eyes to be able perform amazing techniques. Those that possessed it could copy the movements of other people just by looking at them. They also received a sort of tunnel vision in combat that could predict what an opponent could do before they did it based on muscle movement."

"Those sound like awesome abilities." Kaiden exclaimed.

"Yes. The only drawback was that every single person I ever met with the Sharingan ended up stark-raving mad. Could be a coincidence, but I think not." Naruto was lost in a memory of a time long gone.

Kaiden recoiled. "Well I guess it's good I don't have it then."

Naruto shook his head to return to the present. "Yes. Well it was a silly idea anyway. Just some old paranoia. Let's get back to work here."

Before they could begin again though, Naruto's comm chirped.

"Naruto. Come in." Shepard spoke through the device.

"You've reached the Great and Powerful Naruto Uzumaki. Please leave your name and number at the beep and I'll get back to you." Naruto responded with a fake recording voice.

"I can see you on the camera idiot." Shepard replied.

"You take the fun out of living some times." Naruto huffed.

"Anyway, how about you meet me in my office for that chat. We have some things we need to discuss." Shepard ordered.

Naruto sighed. "Alright, I'll be right there boss."

Kaiden went back to the training regimen Naruto had given him.

"Sorry, Kaiden. I'll have to show you wall walking a bit later. I have to go to the principal's office." Naruto stated as he made his way towards the elevator.

Kaiden laughed. "Better you than me."

* * *

Shepard sat waiting in his quarters for Naruto to arrive. He had a lot to discuss with his enigmatic teammate. Up to this point, he was lenient enough but now he needed answers.

_'That energy coming from his body was powerful. Extremely powerful. I can't allow him to endanger my crew. Hopefully he talks to me.'_ Shepard thought about how it could go.

Before he got too much further into scenarios, he heard a chime at his door.

"Come in." Shepard announced.

"Yo." Naruto greeted.

The door closed behind him. Naruto took a seat on the couch against the far bulkhead.

"So." Shepard started.

"Yea, so." Naruto sighed. "I take it you want to know what happened down there."

"Among other things but let's start with that." Shepard stated.

"Well, it's a long story so settle in." Naruto sat up. "I'll start off with my age. You want to guess how old I am?"

Shepard wasn't entirely sure but he was prepared for almost anything. "No clue."

Naruto could tell he wasn't lying. _'Well at least Ash kept that secret.'_ He thought with a smile.

"I'm over 9000 years old."

Shepard raised an eyebrow. "Really? I guess I should be more shocked but that's kind of par for the course for you isn't it."

Naruto nodded. "Pretty much. So I basically come from a time where humans had evolved to utilize biotic powers naturally. We called it chakra. It's essentially the same in that we are able to manipulate the energy that is available in nature to enhance our bodies to perform amazing feats."

Shepard cut in. "I thought Element Zero was needed to use biotics though."

"Over the many years I've studied it, I've learned that element zero is available in microscopic amounts of every part of this galaxy. The atoms of every planet are made up of it. The cosmic dust, asteroids, comets all have trace amounts. Human, Asari, Turian, Krogan, Salarian, plants, animals; every species' DNA has this element built in at the most basic level. As best as I can guess, the galaxy is a balance between matter, dark matter and dark energy with element zero being the binding force throughout it."

"So having a big pile of it only speeds up the process if it doesn't kill you of course." Shepard inferred.

"Exactly. We all have the innate ability to harness element zero within our bodies but it takes practice and dedication to be able to utilize it. To some, it comes more naturally just like athletes are more gifted than regular people at certain sports but everyone could do it in theory."

"Ok so what does that have to do with the energy you emitted?"

"Getting to that. So dark energy is essentially what we are using each time we fire up our biotic powers. It makes up a majority of the universe and is assumed to be a passive quantity that otherwise just exists unless an outside force manipulates it. That's not entirely true. Sometimes, dark energy can converge over long periods of time to create a living creature."

"A living creature?" Shepard was very confused.

"Not living in the sense that you or I might live in that we eat, drink, breath, reproduce, etc. Beings composed entirely of dark energy. They coalesce together over hundreds of millions of years to become a conscious, living being."

"How is that even possible?" Shepard was amazed.

"The science explaining the combination of energy into a singular creature is somewhat easy to explain. It's how it gains a consciousness that gets into more philosophical areas that I don't have the qualifications to answer." Naruto chuckled. "But anyway, so these creatures of pure energy can form at random in the galaxy if the conditions are right. One just so happened to form on Earth many billions of years ago. We called it Juubi, or ten tails since the form it took was a monstrous creature with ten ravaging tails of energy."

"And this Juubi was made entirely of dark energy?" Shepard wanted him to clarify.

"Yes. Completely. It was the single most powerful entity I have ever encountered."

"So why didn't it destroy the Earth?" Shepard pondered.

"During the formation stage of the planet, Juubi most likely ravaged the land. Volcanoes and molten rock covered the Earth so it wasn't like it was doing any damage. Whether or not it had gained a consciousness at this point or was just a mindless animal is up for debate. By the time the Earth had settled, Juubi settled with it and went into a long hibernation. It reappeared about 500 years or so before I was born. At the time, it was a threat to all life on the planet. An ancestor of my people known only as the Sage of the Six Paths stopped it by sealing it into his body before it could cause any lasting damage." Naruto explained.

"Sealed it? What do you mean?"

"One of the many arts my people learned in their manipulation of chakra was sealing. Through a combination of complex formulas and specific application of dark energy, we were able to manipulate matter, space and time."

Naruto used the seal on his arm as an example. He applied chakra to the seal and his sword appeared from nowhere.

Shepard was impressed. "I always wondered where you kept that thing."

"Now obviously, the larger the object or more energy it contained, the harder it would be to seal. I can't even imagine the level of skill and power it took the Sage to be able to seal the Juubi cleanly when he did it."

"So what happened then?" Shepard was engrossed in the tale.

"Despite his power and skill, the Sage did not have my healing abilities. It's a family genetic trait of sorts. So while the Juubi allowed him to live for several centuries, he knew his time was coming. He split the Juubi into nine smaller entities of energy and spread them out over the far reaches of the Earth. It was his hope that these new creatures would not have the same ravenous mentality that the Juubi possessed. Either way, he had no more time to dwell on it as he died right after the procedure."

He let Shepard soak all of that in for a moment before continuing. "Ok, and then what?"

"I'm getting to it, let me explain." Naruto paused to think of everything he needed to say. "No, there is too much. Let me sum up. I had one of the nine entities sealed inside of me. The Kyuubi. Some evil douche bag decided it would be cool to reunite all of these creatures to form the Juubi again. He succeeded. He was just about to take over the world in fabulous cliché fashion when yours truly showed up to save the day." Naruto said with a smile.

"Nice. So I take it you stopped this thing then." Shepard added.

Naruto's smile left him. "Yes and no. The immediate threat was stopped. However, I did not have the skill and power of the Sage of the Six Paths. His seal in comparison to mine was like the Sistine Chapel to a child's crayon drawings. Both are colorful but one is art and the other is scribbles on a piece of paper. It got the job done. Juubi was sealed but it was only a temporary measure. Over the millennia, I've improved in my sealing skill and had to reseal him several times to increase the hold. Some of those encounters were pretty violent events."

"When was the last time you had to seal it?"

"Well, have you ever heard of the Tunguska Event?" Naruto asked.

"Yea I think so in grade school. An asteroid exploded over Russia back in the early 20th century. It was the largest near Earth collision in recorded history." Shepard recited.

"Yea well it wasn't an asteroid. That was me and Juubi having a disagreement on whether or not it should be resealed." Naruto explained.

"What? That explosion was massive! It flattened like 1000 square miles of land." Shepard was astounded.

"Like I said, Juubi didn't exactly go quietly." Naruto said while scratching his neck. "In the past tries, I was able to apply the new seal without much trouble. It never really broke free or when it tried, I was quick to counter him before it caused too much damage. That time though, the bastard was ready for me. I always used the precaution of going to remote locations in case something like that occurred. Siberia was a good enough place at the time since the world was becoming more and more populated and Antarctica might have very well collapsed from Juubi's energy. As I was going to loosen it, Juubi took me by surprise bursting through the seal in its weakened state and nearly escaping. I fought the fucker for three days. That explosion was a result of both our most powerful attacks colliding. I was able to knock it back long enough for me to throw the seal together. In my haste though, the seal wasn't as perfect as I drew it before I started fighting three days earlier."

Shepard took it all in. "I take it then this is why you said you weren't as powerful as you once were."

Naruto nodded. "You catch on quick. The seal wasn't nearly as effective as it should have been. While it still sealed the Juubi, I lost a good bit of the power I gained from it and a lot of my own power. I've been able to relearn my skills over the last few centuries to be effective again but I'm a shadow of my former self. I didn't want to mess with it though since I wasn't sure I could handle Juubi so soon after that battle."

"So is it still secure then?" Shepard asked in reference to what happened on Feros.

"It has been until recently. When I first saw that ship on Eden Prime, I think something about it awoke Juubi. Ever since then, I've been feeling its presence emerge."

"Saren's ship?" Shepard inquired.

"Yea. There's something definitely unusual about it if it can wake Juubi up."

_'That kind of fits in with what Shiala was saying.'_ Shepard thought. "And on Feros..." Shepard left open.

"On Feros, the Thorian tried taking over my mind which was a bad move. Mental attacks were a preferred form of combat way back in my day. My mind is like a steel friggin trap. I own all in there. If the Juubi can't take it down, then some half assed tentacle monster certainly isn't going to." Naruto scoffed. "But it did grab Juubi's attention unfortunately. I had to put him back in his place for a moment."

Shepard took this all in. "Do you think you can keep it under control? Remember what I said when I first brought you on."

Naruto put his hands up in a placating manner. "I can handle it for now. I will need to create a new seal probably in the next year or so but it's not going anywhere at the moment."

"Good. Because with all I've seen from you, throwing you out the airlock might be a waste of time." Shepard quipped.

"Still, I'd rather not find out the hard way that I can't survive being frozen to death while asphyxiating." Naruto replied.

Shepard shared a chuckle with him. "Alright, get out of here then. We're going to be heading to the Citadel shortly and I have a ton of email to catch up on."

"Thus is the dangers of command. Part of the reason why I never became a leader."

"The responsibility?"

"No, the paperwork. See ya later."

* * *

The Normandy pulled into the Alliance docking bay as the team prepared to run their errands. Shepard stood before them to let them know when they needed to be back. He assessed his motley crew of many different species. Everyone was here except for their new guest Shiala who chose to stay behind.

"We only have about six hours until we need to get back on board. Make sure you take care of all your business and pick up whatever supplies you need because I don't know when we'll be back here." Shepard laid out for them.

"We promise we'll be back by curfew, Dad." Garrus commented.

"Guess we can't take Wrex to a hooker in that amount of time eh?" Naruto added.

"I don't need any charity. I do well enough on my own. Back in my day, Krogan males were a desired partner by all races." Wrex retorted.

"Yea but that was like millennia ago, old man." Naruto quipped.

"Wait, aren't you older than him?" Kaiden cut in.

"Details. Anyway, let's get this party started shall we." Naruto said as he darted out of the decompression bay.

Ashley just shook her head and looked at the females of the team. "Boys. No matter what species, they're all idiots."

"Indeed." Liara for once agreed with her human counterpart.

"At least they're nice to look at." Tali blurted out.

Ashley and Liara turned to look at her shocked at what she said.

"What? Just because I wear a full body suit doesn't mean I'm a prude. You have a problem with that?" Tali said defensively.

Ashley put her hands up with a grin. "Not at all. Just wasn't expecting the wallflower to come out of her shell."

Tali looked over at Liara. "Well if I stay in it, I may find certain things already taken from me."

Liara narrowed her eyes in response. "Perhaps you will find they weren't yours in the first place."

Shepard chose that moment to walk up to them. "You ladies keep it civil now."

"Don't worry, Commander. I can be the referee." Ashley happily replied.

There were many thoughts conjured in Shepard's mind from that comment. "Yes... well... just make sure you make it back to the ship in one piece."

He then hastily took off down the dock towards the elevators.

Ashley laughed as he ran away. "Big Baby." She then remembered that she wanted to get some alone time with Naruto if she could. "I'll catch up with you girls later. I have... some errands to do."

"Would these errands happen to be a 6' 3" hulking blonde specimen of a man?" Liara teased her colleague.

Ashley sputtered a reply. "No! Not that it's any of your business."

Liara grinned. "Of course not."

"Just remember to use protection." Tali added.

Ashley turned a bright red as she again stuttered. "Wh-what?"

"You know. Your weapons. Don't want to be unprotected on the Citadel." Tali teased.

Ashley couldn't see it but she knew there was a grin behind that mask. "Right. See you two later."

Once she was out of earshot, the two remaining women spoke up.

"I'd say that was justified." Liara said with a smirk.

"Totally." Tali laughed.

* * *

Shepard made is way down to the Presidium Markets to pick up some needed supplies. While he was walking, he contemplated a few of the emails he read before departure.

_'Luna Base needs to be addressed. From what Hackett said, it could be a threat to Earth. I hate putting the hunt for Saren on hold but this is dangerous. What the hell were they doing there that caused this?'_

He was thinking of their best course of action for attacking the base. He also wanted to know more about what was going on. The Alliance was definitely only giving their side of the story. He wanted to find out more from somewhere.

_'I need to start building my own network of informants. Going blind into these sorts of things will get me killed. Feros showed how bad that can be.'_

He did recall some of the emails requesting his help. Amongst all the various crap jobs like delivering crates or finding salvage on far away planets, he recalled one of them being from an Asari diplomat.

_'Dantius I think her name was. Couldn't hurt to hear her out. Doing a favor for a politician might lead to some useful information later on.'_

There was also one from a woman named Blake. She was vague about the details but from what she hinted at it sounded like she was part of an underworld organization.

_'Like Naruto said, information is information. Can't be picky about the source. I'll have to see how tied in she is before I accept anything from her but I need to build some contacts fast.'_

* * *

Naruto was currently shopping for some new armor. The last couple of missions he'd been on had shown him that armor was not just functional but a necessity for style as well.

_'Not getting caught dead in that blue abomination again.'_ He shuddered as he thought of the skin tight space suit he wore when he fought the Thresher Maw.

He wasn't having much luck looking through the various kiosks though. Nothing seemed to fit his sense of flare.

_'Boring, boring, boring, is that even real? What are these people thinking with this stuff?'_ He sighed. '_I may just have to hold off for now. This stuff is all crap. Maybe I can have someone make a cool set for me.'_

While he was pondering his wardrobe selection, a certain Gunnery Chief caught up to him. She was decked out in her civvies; a regular light green t-shirt that hugged her curves nicely along with a pair of form-fitting, dark green cargo shorts.

"Naruto. Here you are. I was looking all over for you." Ashley exclaimed.

"Can't bear to be without me for a minute huh?" He smirked.

She rolled her eyes. "More like keeping an eye on you as trouble always seems to fall in your lap."

"Convenient excuse." He uttered. "So what are you shopping for?"

"Just picking up some odds and ends. A couple of weapon mods. An armor repair kit. Nothing major."

"Well that's boring."

Ashley huffed. "Sorry that I'm not some girly girl who goes on shopping sprees."

"No it's not that. I've known chicks her were totally into their weapons but they still found time to let their hair down so to speak." Naruto clarified.

Ashley shrugged. "I just never have the time. Duty always calls."

"If something is important enough, you make time." Naruto replied wisely. "Let's say we're going on a suicide mission and this is your last port of call, what is the one thing you want to do more than anything before you leave?"

Ashley truly thought about it. She liked to say she thought about books of poetry or entering a rifle shooting contest but all she did was stare longingly at the back of her blonde haired friend. _'I can't exactly say I'd like to lose my virginity to a man 9000 years older than me. That wouldn't sound desperate or anything.' _

"Ummm... I can't really think of anything." She answered weakly.

"Hmmm." Naruto turned with his hand on his chin pondering something. "I have an idea."

He took her hand and started to drag her along.

"Naruto! Where are we going?" Ashley tried to keep up with him.

"It's a surprise." He replied cryptically.

Naruto darted into a back alley where no one could see what they were up to. Ashley's breath became hitched as he wrapped his arms around her. She stared up into his mischievous eyes. She was so lost in them that she missed what he just asked of her.

"I'm sorry what was that?" Ash replied in a daze.

"I said do you trust me?" He said with that insufferable grin.

She wanted to give a smart ass reply or deny it just to get a rise out of him but she couldn't find the will to argue into those eyes. "Yes." She managed with a whisper.

Without warning, Naruto scooped her into his arms and started running up the wall of the alley. Ashley nearly screamed before she realized that she was perfectly safe in his arms. She merely wrapped her arms around his neck and hung on letting him do whatever it was he wanted to do. When they reached a certain height, Naruto made a huge arching leap out onto one of the sky bridge walkways that stood several hundred feet above the Presidium. From there, they had a beautiful view of the artificial sky and the gorgeous lakes down below.

Naruto placed her down so she could walk over and take a look.

"What do you think?" Naruto inquired.

She carefully stepped closer to the edge to get a better view. "This is amazing. I've never imagined how wonderful the view was up here." Ashley was astonished.

He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She didn't resist him as she was still taking in the view. Ash leaned back into his muscular frame.

"I just wanted you to realize that there are things around you that you may have never known were there. Amazing things." He whispered into her ear.

She titled her head to look up at him. Ashley had lost her inhibitions in that moment. She turned around to face him and was leaning in, inching closer towards his lips. He didn't resist. Just as she was about to reach them, a loud voice could be heard from a sky car.

_"This is Citadel Security. Please cease and desist your illegal activity. No one is permitted on top of the Presidium walk way. Stand still and prepare for arrest." _

_'Could there be a bigger cock block than that.' _Naruto sighed. "Can't you see I'm working. Give me like five minutes here."

_"You will stay still until we are able to detain you. Stand down."_ The officers insisted.

Naruto looked down at Ashley who seemed just as annoyed as he was. "Yea we're not doing that."

Naruto suddenly scooped Ashley up and darted to the underside of the sky walk. He sprinted along underneath until he came back to one of the alley ways. The C-Sec vehicle tried to give chase but Naruto was way too fast for them. By the time they arrived at the alley, he had already disappeared with Ashley. The officers didn't spend much time trying to search for him since it would be just too much paperwork to fill out for nothing.

Hiding behind some well placed crates, Naruto sat with Ashley in his lap waiting for C-Sec to leave. When he finally saw the car fly away, he let out a relieved breath.

"Wouldn't be good if we had to call Shepard to bail us out of jail." Naruto joked.

Ashley caught her breath as well. "No it wouldn't. Especially when we'd have to explain why we got arrested."

She noticed that she was still sitting on his lap. She worked up some courage to try and finish where they left off.

_'Come on girl. He's right there. Just do it!'_ Her inner voice pleaded with her.

Naruto noticed her stare. "Shall we continue?" He said with a smirk.

She smiled back as she leaned in and touched her lips to his. He was gentle with her, having many years of practice kissing females. He didn't want to be too aggressive for their first kiss but he also didn't want her to think it was just a friendly one either. Ashley didn't think anything of the sort though.

_'God it's amazing just kissing him. I can't imagine what else he can do.'_

She readjusted herself to straddle his lap. Ash leaned in to deepen the kiss as Naruto ran his hands smoothly up her spine over her t-shirt. Her hands gripped tightly to his hair as she worked her fingers through his blonde locks. Naruto broke from her lips and began kissing down her neck. She let out soft pants of joy at his nibbling bites. Ashley had never felt anything like this before.

_'Yes, just a bit further down...'_ She thought.

Naruto's lust was over taking him. As he was about to increase his intensity though, a voice surprised them from the alley.

"My my. Perhaps you two should get a room." A hidden female announced.

Ashley became alert and immediately grabbed her pistol searching for whoever said that. "Come out here right now!"

Naruto was beyond frustrated because he knew who the voice was. "You couldn't have waited just a little bit, Kasumi?"

From the shadows emerged a camouflaged form. Dropping the stealth cloak, Kasumi Goto appeared before the two of them.

"I could have just watched you two you know." She stated not at all displeased at that thought.

"Voyeuristic Klepto." Naruto mumbled.

"Flattery will get you everywhere." Kasumi smoothly replied.

"Can I please shoot her now?" Ashley begged of Naruto from her spot on his lap.

"As annoyed as I am at her timing, no. She's actually a good friend." Naruto sighed as he begrudgingly removed Ashley from his lap.

"She's not my friend though." Ashley said heatedly as she stood up still holding the barrel aimed at the mysterious thief.

Kasumi was not concerned as she playfully held her hands up. "You can have lover boy back again. I just needed to bring him some information."

Naruto placed his hand gently on Ashley's arm. "Ash, it's ok. We'll pick this up later if you still want to."

He gave her a kiss on the cheek that seemed to calm her down. Despite her enjoying it, she still needed to get the upper hand.

"If you're lucky. I may not be in the mood now." She said with a devious grin.

"Guess I'll have to start over and woo you even better next time then." He smirked.

She smiled back. "You better."

Naruto laughed and turned his attention back towards Kasumi. "So my dear Ms. Goto, to what do I owe the honor?"

"I have to say, I'm a little jealous. I don't recall us having any make out sessions after our daring escapes from the authorities." Kasumi said with a sly grin.

Ashley twitched her eye. "What's she trying to say, Naruto?"

He quickly cut her off. "Not right now, Ash. Get to the point Kasumi. You don't make an appearance unless it's important."

She suddenly became serious. "Right as usual. It's about Keiji. He's in trouble."

Naruto of course knew Keiji was Kasumi's current lover. He was decent friends with him but it would be for Kasumi if he chose to help out. He couldn't ever abandon a friend in need.

"What did he get himself involved in now?" Naruto asked.

"Some big shot weapon's dealer named Donovan Hock asked him to steal some priceless artifacts." Kasumi angrily stated.

"Hock? I've heard of the asshole before. His people constantly harass me to buy some of my findings even though I usually have a contract with someone already. It always rubbed me the wrong way." Naruto added.

"Yes well he's the type of person with a problem hearing the word no. I've turned him down several times for jobs but Keiji decided he would take on a simple one for him. It was a setup though. The heist was a trap. All Hock wanted was Keiji's graybox which has information infinitely more valuable than any piece of art." Kasumi explained.

Naruto knew of the graybox since Keiji had been assured by Kasumi that Naruto could be trusted. It was a surgical device implanted into Keiji that recorded all the memories of his dealings. This was necessary since he was a former agent for the Alliance Intelligence Division.

"How do we know he's still alive then?" Naruto didn't want to bring up a painful subject.

"They need him to open the graybox. If they kill him, they have no way of knowing how to do it but Hock doesn't have much patience and Keiji can be a smart ass." She said.

Naruto nodded in agreement. "So what do you need from me?"

"I'd like for you to come help me break him out." Kasumi all but begged.

Naruto was conflicted. "You know I'm on a mission right now. I really important one too. Look, I like Keiji. I like you two together. I just don't know if I can do it right now."

Kasumi never showed negative emotions. That was just part of her mask but tears started to drain from her eyes as the desperation slipped through her carefully placed facade. "I don't know who else to turn to. Please, Naru-kun." She whispered quietly.

_'Ah geez, the pet name. Man, women are truly my Achilles heel.'_ Naruto ran his hands through his hair. "I'll see what I can do. I need to talk to Shepard about this though. I can't just run off."

Kasumi had a hopeful look underneath her hood. "Thank you, my friend. I'll contact you in a few days. Let me know your answer then."

With that she reapplied her stealth cloak and started to walk back into the shadows. "Sorry again for interrupting, miss. Love makes you do desperate things." She disappeared before Ashley could respond.

"Charming girl. I'm sensing there's a history between you two." Ashley tried not to sound jealous.

Naruto was contemplating what he would say to Shepard in regards to this before replying. "There is but another time, Ash. Let's get back to the ship."

With the mood thoroughly ruined, the two of them returned to the Normandy.

* * *

Shepard had just finished an interesting conversation with Helena Blake and was making his way back to the Normandy. She had made an intriguing proposition for him.

_'Kill her partners and she takes over with the promise not to deal in Red Sand or slaves. I guess there could be worse people to have as informants then the head of a crime syndicate.'_ He pondered.

He met up with her on the Presidium shortly after meeting the overly dramatic Nassana Dantius pleading for her sister's life. _'That woman is full of shit. There's no way some two bit pirate gang could kidnap a family member from an Asari diplomat. Something doesn't add up. If I can find out what, maybe I can leverage her into feeding me info though.' _

He shook his head. These were tasks that would have to wait anyway. They had much bigger things to tackle in the mean time.

_'The Rogue VI on Luna needs to be taken down now. It can't wait any longer. I'll inform the team when they get back.' _

Becoming a Spectre was not exactly what Shepard imagined it would be. He had his main mission but so many other important things come up along the way. The key was trying to find a balance on what to complete and what to ignore without wasting time.

_'I can't let Saren get too far ahead but from what Shiala said, he still didn't have all the answers for finding the Conduit. So there should be time.' _

He emerged from the decompression room and greeted Joker as he passed the cockpit. After some routine stops to check up on the Normandy's systems, he made his way down to his personal quarters. Before entering, he noticed an eager blue Asari waiting outside.

"Ah Shepard. I was hoping to speak with you again before we departed. Do you have some time?" Liara asked.

"I can always make time for you." He replied with a cheesy grin leading the way in.

Liara laughed as she followed him into his quarters. "That's worse than some of Naruto's pick up lines."

Shepard mocked a look of hurt. "You wound me deeply. My pick up lines are easily better than his."

"You'll have to show me another time then." She saucily replied as she sat gracefully down on his couch.

He smiled back leaning against his desk. "So what did you want to talk about?"

Liara became more serious. "I spoke with our guest, Shiala, about many things. Chiefly among them was my mother. It was interesting hearing about her from the perspective of one of her most devoted followers. It gives me new light on what type of person she was."

Shepard quirked his eyebrow. "You say _was_?"

Liara nodded. "Shiala also explained how Saren's ship can manipulate minds into following his will. I don't know if there is any chance to save her now and restore her to the kind, loving yet stubborn woman I once knew. I am worried about when we finally confront her. I hope I can remain vigilant for the team to not be a hindrance."

Shepard made his way over and sat down next to Liara. He gently placed his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a side hug. Liara offered no resistance and leaned into Shepard, laying her head on his shoulder.

"Liara, you've been with us only a short time but I can definitely say that you would never be a hindrance to us. Everything I've seen of you makes me believe so and hell, Naruto raves about you. From the short time I've known him, he seems to be an excellent judge of character."

Liara smiled from her comfortable position. "That he is. He is remarkable but not as much as you."

Shepard outright laughed. "I'm more remarkable than the guy who's lived for millennia and can walk on walls?"

"When you think about it, yes. He has special gifts that were part of his birth right. He does what he does because he has to. It's who he is. You have no special abilities and yet you do what you do because you want to. You possess a stronger will than even him in some ways. To face death on a daily basis the way you do and not just survive but come out laughing in its face is a truly admirable trait, Commander."

"Just Shepard, Liara. You don't need to call me Commander." He said as he rubbed her back.

Liara wanted to remain like that for a bit but she remembered why she came to see him. "There was another thing I wanted to help with."

"Oh?" Shepard asked.

"Shiala explained that the cipher she gave you offered the Prothean language but without the knowledge I possess, you may still be in the dark on the meaning. I would like to meld with you again so that I may help you understand the beacon's vision further." Liara offered.

"That does sound like a good idea. I should warn you though, my thoughts might be a tad more risqué this time." He smirked as he stared into her eyes.

Liara tried to maintain composure as she gazed into his eyes. She shook her head though to free her mind. "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

Shepard didn't push it. "Don't worry, Liara. We can keep it strictly business this time. But just so we are clear, I am interested."

An Asari blush takes on a deep almost purplish color. Needless to say, Liara was starting to resemble an eggplant at his implications. "I-I understand."

"I'm sorry." He said with a chuckle. "I'll stop torturing you. You're just too cute when you're embarrassed though."

Liara regained some of her poise as she prepared for the mind meld. "I'll keep that in mind. Let us take care of the joining then."

Shepard smirked at her suddenly professional nature. "As you wish."

* * *

Another long one there. Hope you all enjoy that because I'm going on vacation this week. I'm taking my kids down the shore and probably won't have time to write a chapter. So most likely expect one in two weeks. As always, read and review. Also, enjoy this brief omake below. Just a dumb thought that popped into my head as I was writing that scene.

Thanks as always for reading this far.

* * *

Omake: Naruto's Age

"Well, it's a long story so settle in." Naruto sat up. "I'll start off with my age. You want to guess how old I am?"

Shepard wasn't entirely sure but he was prepared for almost anything. "No, what is your age?"

"It's over 9000!" Naruto shouted.

"What?! 9000! There's no way that could be right!" Shepard shouted with increasing volume.


	8. Dark Side of the Moon, Part 1

Finally, Useful HAS COME BACK to (insert name of your town here)!

Yes vacation is over and a new chapter is upon us. Luna mission is a side quest and a fairly routine one at that in ME1. Seemed pretty lame considering one of our favorite characters in ME2 and ME3 came from this mission (EDI). So I decided to spruce up EDI's origin story a bit. I've added elements to it from another game that will hopefully spice it up. If you don't like it, well you only have two chapters to suffer through with it. Then we'll get back to more familiar Mass Effect plotlines.

Also, no one got the chapter title for chapter 7. It's a relatively easy one but maybe people thought it beneath them to answer. I'll leave it out there still. I also forgot to add that **Assassin4343** got chapter 5 and 6 right. I meant to add that along with jared's name last time. This chapter is ridiculously easy. So let's see who can get it right.

So shall we begin?

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto, Mass Effect or ... another game that will be obvious as you read.

* * *

Dark Side of the Moon, Part 1

The Normandy suddenly appeared back in the Local Cluster having successfully used the Arcturus Prime relay. Joker set her on a course for Earth's sole moon which had been reclassified as Luna many decades ago to avoid confusion.

"Course laid in, Commander. ETA is 42 minutes." Joker announced.

"Good. Let me know if anything unusual occurs." Shepard ordered.

"Unusual like an immortal human walking around on our ship unusual or just run of the mill unusual?" Joker replied.

"Unusual for us." Shepard responded with a grin.

"So extremely unusual then. Gotcha." Joker returned to flying the ship.

Shepard made his way down to the cargo bay where the rest of his team was waiting.

"Ok people, we're 40 minutes out. Everyone ready to go?" Shepard asked.

"I think Garrus might need to use the bathroom. What the hell have you been eating buddy?" Naruto commented while holding his nose.

"Someone must have been slipping some non-dextro-amino based food into my rations. I've been in and out of the toilet all night." Garrus purposefully eyed Naruto.

"Don't look at me. I'd tell you if I pulled a prank on you." Naruto chuckled.

Tali looked embarrassed off to the side. "That might have been my fault, Garrus. I may have accidentally misplaced labels on some of the food rations."

Garrus felt relieved it wasn't someone targeting him. "That's ok, Tali. It was an honest mistake. Just to be safe though, how about I do the food labeling from now on for our rations?"

"Yes, of course. I'm so sorry." Tali still felt terrible about it.

"Any other concerns before we land?" Shepard cut back in.

No one else voiced an opinion.

"Ok then. We're going to attack Luna Base in two teams. Garrus, Williams and Liara will be with me on Fire team Alpha. Naruto, Wrex, Kaidan and Tali will be Fire team Charlie. The Alliance has been pretty quiet about what we'll find down there but be prepared for anything. This Rogue VI's automated defenses have taken out several top Commando teams already. If it's allowed to continue unchecked, it may prove a threat to Earth."

He waited for a moment to see if anyone had any comments. When there was no response, he continued.

"The base is a hardened military facility. There are six levels in the structure after we make it about 200 feet down in the elevator. On the surface, we'll have to navigate through dozens of military grade turrets and weapons drones that are following the VI's commands. We're going to be moving in with both of the Makos for this one."

Kaidan decided to chime in. "Who will be driving the other one?"

"I will. You will drive Charlie's." Shepard replied.

Naruto glanced over at Ashley and gave her a teasing look as if to say '_good luck'_. She responded in kind by sticking her tongue out childishly.

Shepard continued his briefing by displaying a map from his omni tool. "There are three different points of entry. Alpha team will be using entry point bravo. Charlie team will be using entry point delta. Once inside, we're to make our way to Level 6, the Command Level, where the VI mainframe is housed. Along the way, we'll have to find the equipment from one of those Commando teams. They have the components needed to manually override the VI once we reach the core. If everything goes according to plan, it should be a pretty simple process to shut it down."

Ashley decided to speak up. "If everything went according to plan though, we wouldn't even be here."

"This is true. It seems to be our team motto to expect the unexpected." Shepard replied.

"I thought our motto was we'll do it in 30 minutes or less or it's free." Naruto added.

"Why do you say that?" Shepard reluctantly asked.

"Because we sure as shit haven't gotten paid for any of these side quests." Naruto grumbled. "I'm only partially joking here."

"I'm getting paid." Wrex said with a shrug.

"Same here." Garrus added.

Naruto looked to Liara and Tali and got nods of affirmation. "Aww what the shit man? I need a new agent."

"Anyway." Shepard said while Naruto pouted. "Do we have any questions before we head down?"

"I know you said the Alliance was all hush hush on what's down there, but do we have some clue at all or are we running right into a varren nest with our eyes closed again?" Garrus seriously questioned.

"No idea unfortunately. They won't tell me anything and I couldn't get any intel from outside sources. I'd expect more drones and weapons turrets but otherwise, we're basically flying blind into this thing." Shepard admitted.

"Well that's good to know that the Alliance values our safety." Garrus retorted.

Shepard shrugged. "If there's nothing else, be ready in 10 for the drop off. Dismissed."

* * *

The Normandy entered a low orbit above Luna. When they reached the targeted drop zone, two Mako Infantry Fighting vehicles plummeted towards the rocky landscape. After the abrupt landing, they were underway and heading towards their destinations.

"Alpha team to Charlie team, you guys doing ok over there?" Shepard asked over the comm.

Kaidan replied. "All systems go, Commander."

"We should reach the outer defenses in two minutes. Look sharp." Shepard ordered.

For his unit, Garrus manned the machine gun while Ashley worked the cannon and Liara monitored the sensors. Over on Kaidan's team, Wrex ran the machine gun with Tali working the sensors. That left the cannon for Naruto.

"Woohoo! Let's blow something up!" The blonde shouted.

He was excited to say the least.

"You sure don't act like a wise old man." Kaidan stated.

"I'm young at heart. Besides, when will I get the chance to fire off a big ass gun like this again?" Naruto replied.

The Makos barreled over the terrain on their approach to the entrance for the underground base. As they got closer, a dozen heavy turrets revealed themselves from the nearby cliffs.

"Incoming fire." Tali announced.

"On it." Naruto enthusiastically stated.

He whipped the cannon around and returned fire on the installations. A few well placed shots later and three of the turrets were destroyed.

"Ha! Beat that, Ash." Naruto declared into his comm.

"Pfft, easy there rookie. Watch how it's done." Ashley retorted.

Alpha team's Mako reeled off several shots in quick succession. When the dust cleared, five more turrets were incapacitated.

"Show off." Naruto mumbled.

"Stay focused people. It's only going to get harder until we can penetrate their defenses." Shepard chimed in.

"Phrasing, Shepard." Naruto replied on reflex while taking out another two turrets.

The two teams took out another twenty turrets before they arrived at the entry points. Each group gathered around their respective entrances and awaited Shepard's order.

"Let's do this." Shepard announced.

With that, they all descended into a madness they couldn't begin to comprehend.

* * *

Alpha team arrived at their destination. The elevator brought them directly to Level 2, Medical and Science. When the doors opened, the team moved out with guns at the ready. The first thing they noticed was the state of disrepair the area had fallen under. Lights were flickering if they were on at all. Medical gurneys and carts were flung on their side with the supplies tossed everywhere. Graffiti littered the hallways with sayings like _'Run'_ or _'We are the many' _in either red paint or blood. It was a dark and gloomy atmosphere to walk in on.

_'What the hell happened down here?' _Shepard thought as he slowly led the team down a hallway.

He continued until he came to what looked like an office. He could see through the glass a human figure rocking back and forth in a crouched stance over a pile of debris. Motioning to the team, Shepard got in position and opened the door. The person didn't notice them but he was mumbling something.

**"We are we are we are we are... the many sings to us."** He chanted. It sounded like multiple voices speaking.

Shepard didn't know what was wrong with him. It was dark and he couldn't quite make out what he was doing. All Shepard could see was a silhouette crouched down rambling on about nonsense. With his gun aimed at the person, Shepard addressed him.

"Hey, are you ok?" Shepard asked.

The humanoid suddenly stood up. It turned and eyed Shepard violently. Shepard backed away and allowed the creature to come into the light. He was a grotesquely deformed human. A worm like attachment ran from the back of the skull over the shoulder and into the ribcage which was wide open. Whether or not it was one of the staff stationed here could not be determined.

**"Discord!"** The creature shook its head fiercely trying to shake off whatever was controlling it. **"Hurry... Run!"**

"I'm Commander Shepard, we can help you. Tell me what's going on here." Shepard attempted to ask while still aiming his gun at it.

The rest of the team was waiting for the Commander's order to open fire but they too were getting nervous.

**"Urgh! Kill Me!"** It shouted. It then ran straight at Shepard with a large pipe in its hand. **"Silence the discord!"**

Shepard didn't hesitate and unloaded a burst right into its skull. Once on the ground, Ashley added another shot. Shepard glanced over at her.

"What? Like Naruto said, always double tap." Ashley defended against his questioning gaze.

Shepard just shook his head before getting back to business. "We need to find out where this thing came from. More than likely there are more of them so stay sharp. I'll check in with Charlie team." He turned to use his comm.

"What are the odds of two zombie missions in a row? You must be a good luck charm, Shepard." Garrus asked.

"Never had to deal with anything like this before you got here, Garrus. Maybe the lucky one is you." Shepard retorted as he went back to the radio.

"Hmm, that would be the kind of luck I'm used to." Garrus admitted.

"Can we please try to stay on task? This place is terrifying enough as it is." Liara nervously added.

"Aww, you're not scared of the dark are you, Blue?" Ashley teased.

"No, just usually what hides in it." Liara fired back.

"Damn. I'm getting no response. There must be something jamming short range transmissions." Shepard stated.

"We really need to get better communicators since ours are always getting jammed. What good are they really?" Ashley offered.

"Let's just get going, people. The sooner we shut this VI down, the sooner we leave." Shepard cut in.

They continued down the hallway looking for the elevator that took them down further into the facility. The sounds of groaning could be heard in the distance from more of those creatures. What they didn't notice was the cameras following their every movement.

* * *

Charlie Team arrived at Level 1, Engineering. They emerged from the elevator to find the radiation alarms blaring.

_"Warning. Radiation Hazard Detected."_

"Well that's a good way to start." Kaidan commented sarcastically.

"Come on. Wrex and I are immune and Tali and you have suits. So we should be fine. A little radiation never hurt anyone." Naruto calmly stated.

Just as he finished that statement, a monkey with an enormous brain walked by the corridor up ahead.

"Well... almost anyone." Naruto added. "To be clear we all just saw a monkey with its brain bulging out of its head just now right?"

"Yes." Kaidan replied still confused as to what he just saw.

"Sure." Tali said.

"Is that what you call them? We call em pyjaks on Tuchanka." Wrex added

"Right. Well, at least I'm not going insane again."

"Again?" Kaidan asked incredulously.

"Nothing. Let's get going." Naruto urged.

The team moved up to the hallway junction with their guns raised at the ready. Kaidan led the way out looking towards the direction the monkey went. It was hopping around like nothing was amiss but something was clearly disturbed about the animal.

_'I can see its brain. Was it some kind of experiment?' _Kaidan thought.

The monkey noticed their approach and became violent. It screeched and screamed at the newcomers while jumping up and down.

"Whoa, settle down buddy. We're not going to hurt you." Naruto tried to calm it as he slowly walked towards the irate primate.

The monkey clearly didn't believe him as it fired off a biotic attack that hit Naruto square in the chest knocking him clean off his feet. Wrex and Tali opened fire and took the monkey out. Kaidan walked over to see if Naruto was ok.

"You gonna live?" Kaidan asked.

"It would look real bad if I lived this long only to be taken out by a biotic monkey wouldn't it? Still that hurt like a bitch. What kind of shit were they doing down here?" Naruto pondered while rubbing his chest.

"No idea. Not sure I want to know either. I'll see where Alpha team is." Kaidan said as he attempted to use the comm.

Sounds of other creatures lurked down the halls.

"Those don't all sound like monkeys. There's something else here." Tali nervously commented.

"Well this certainly is another fine mess we walked in on." Naruto said.

"I like hanging out with you guys. There's always interesting stuff to kill." Wrex laughed.

"You have a unique way of looking at things, Wrex." Naruto said.

Kaidan turned back to his team. "Looks like the comm is out again. We'll have to complete the objective on our own if we don't meet up with them somewhere. Let's try to find one of the Commando teams and get the equipment we need."

Charlie team worked their way down the hall until they came upon what appeared to be a hub for a storage facility. There were four doors on each side including the one they just came from. Before they could decide which way they wanted to go, several protocol droids came through two of the doors.

_"Hello. May I be of service?"_ The Droids asked in a friendly, robotic voice.

The team relaxed for a moment but the droids kept rapidly moving towards them.

Naruto noticed something wrong. He erected a barrier around the four of them just in time. The droids self destructed when they reached a certain proximity to the team. One of the units still had its voice box intact.

_"And I had so hoped to be useful..."_

"Suicide bomber bots. The VI must've reprogrammed and unleashed them on intruders or maybe even the staff." Naruto explained.

"Alright, let's not trust any machine in here for the time being." Tali added a bit startled.

"Good idea." Kaidan agreed. He then pulled up the map on his omni-tool. "According to the layout, these are storage areas for the facility. Let's sweep them to be thorough in case any of the Commando teams ended up in here."

As the team made their way into the storage areas, they could hear more groaning noises.

"What is that?" Tali asked nervously.

"Let's see, biotic monkey experiments, killer exploding robots. Why don't we add some freakish monsters to the mix?" Naruto joked.

In the distance, shots could be heard along with horrific shouts.

**"The discord fades. He would not join us."** A disjointed voice rang out.

"Naruto, you feel anything?" Kaidan asked.

"It's weird. I feel several presences up ahead but only two minds. One seems like a normal human while the other is like a collective thought." Naruto explained.

"Is it like the Thorian on Feros?" Kaidan added.

"No. They were all still individuals with similar feelings being forced upon them. This is like one mind speaks for them all. Definitely creeping me out."

"Well you said you felt a normal human in there. We need to help them." Kaidan declared.

When they moved closer, they heard someone yelling.

"Get back you fuckers. You don't know when to quit." A male voice shouted while firing off some shots.

Charlie team quickly moved around the corner to find a single human on top of some stacked crates fighting off a dozen or so deformed humanoid creatures.

**"Silence the discord!"** The creatures shouted.

Wrex charged in and knocked several of the beings off their feet while wielding his shotgun on two more. Kaidan used a biotic push to knock the rest on the ground while Naruto made quick work of the downed enemies with his sword. Tali covered them from the rear picking off any stragglers with her SMG. Within minutes, they cleared the area of enemies.

"Thank god. Am I glad to see you guys." The soldier stated while trying to catch his breath.

"Glad we could help. Who are you?" Kaidan addressed him.

"Corporal Lawrence Dobson, sir. I was part of the second Commando team they sent in to retake the facility. We got hit pretty hard right away. They took out the Lieutenant and the rest of the unit freaked. I'm the only one left from my squad." The Corporal summarized sadly.

"Well we're here now with Commander Shepard to shut this VI down." Kaidan stated.

"Shepard? Thank god." Dobson stated with a relieved tone. "I thought I was going to die down here with these freaks. Commander Shepard will get this cleared up in no time."

Naruto couldn't quite shake the feeling he was getting from the soldier. He motioned for Kaidan to follow him.

"Wait right here. I'll need some intel from you in a second. Tali, see if you can patch him up a bit." Kaidan ordered.

"Sure thing." Tali moved over to apply any first aid to Dobson.

Kaidan walked over to Naruto out of earshot from the newcomer. "What's up?"

"I don't know. Probably nothing. I can only sense feelings and it might be because he's tired and scared that I just don't get a genuine vibe from him." Naruto explained.

"Well he's been on his own down here for who knows how long with these things. Maybe it's throwing you off." Kaidan offered.

"Maybe. My empathic ability isn't exactly a precise thing so you could be right." Naruto admitted.

"We'll keep an eye on him for now but he should be able to help us out with what's going on." Kaidan added.

"Alright. Let's see what he knows then." Naruto accepted.

Kaidan made his way back over. "So, Dobson, give me a sitrep."

"Well, we made our attack about four days ago. We managed to break through the outer defenses no problem. Once we got inside, we had no way to prepare for what was down here. They were doing some kind of sick experiments here. I don't know if the Alliance sanctioned it or not. Way above my pay grade but best I can tell whatever it was they were working on broke out and infected the staff."

"Wait! Those things were the workers here?" Tali asked.

Dobson nodded. "I think so. We haven't seen any survivors. Some dead bodies here and there but not enough to account for the hundreds of personnel listed."

"What can you tell us about the VI?" Kaidan asked.

"I know it's on top of me everywhere I go. Just when I think I'm safe, more of those damn bots come out of nowhere trying to blow up in my face. I don't know if it controls the mutant things you just killed but there are other abominations on the lower levels that seem at least partially cybernetic."

"How far down did you make it?" Kaidan added.

"I got to Level 5 before I had to turn back. It was me and one other guy, Jones, trying to be heroes and get to the core ourselves. When he was ripped apart by those things down there..." Dobson tried to shake off the memory. "I ran like hell to get back to the higher levels. At least these mutant things are dumb and can be avoided. Everything in the lower levels is hyper aware of every movement we make." Dobson explained.

"You said they were infected. Why do you think that?" Naruto cut in.

"There were these worm things crawling around. They would burst out of some giant flesh-colored egg thing and they try to latch on to you. I saw them bite through the armor on two of my squad members. I just figured they were dead after that but on my way back out, I could have sworn I saw one of them trying to attack me. I was in too much of a hurry but I swear one of the mutants had a Commando armor suit on. It was dark and I was freaked out though. So maybe I was just seeing things." Dobson rubbed his eyes clearly exhausted. "I haven't really slept much over the last few days so I could be delirious too."

"Well this just got a lot more complicated." Naruto stated. "We have to purge the whole facility so whatever this is doesn't get out."

"You're right." Kaidan agreed. "Alright Dobson, you're coming with us. We'll need your help if we encounter any more of these things. We also need the device that will shut down the VI. Do you still have it?"

"Yea, right here." Dobson held up what looked like a data pad. "It's more of a virus that will destroy the VI than a specific device. We just need to upload it directly into the core to assure it will reach the source without being blocked."

"Ok then, get your gear and fall in. We need you to lead us to the best way down." Kaidan ordered.

Charlie Team followed Dobson back through the storage areas as he led them further into engineering. They thought they were ready for anything but what can prepare you for this.

* * *

Back with Alpha team, Shepard and company managed to find a working elevator after fighting through several more of the deformed humans. When they had tried to take it down to Level 6 though, it got stuck at Level 3, Hydroponics. Ashley checked the panel.

"Everything looks fine. According to this, we should be moving." She stated.

"Maybe something is in the way." Shepard said.

"Don't these bases have stairwells?" Garrus commented.

"You would think in case of a power outage they would but this doesn't seem like a facility that was designed with safety standards in mind." Shepard offered.

"Guess we'll have to find out what's blocking the shaft then." Liara stated.

Ashley snickered.

"What's so funny?" Liara asked.

"Nothing. Just something Naruto would have said." Ashley commented with a grin.

"Ah. Well that clarifies it. Looks like he's rubbing off on you in more ways than one." Liara teased with a smile.

Ashley sputtered. "Let's just... get back to work here then ok."

The elevator doors opened with a hiss. The first thing they noticed when walking out into the hallway was a bizarre, brown mucous like substance adhering to the walls. It grew everywhere like a weed but it clearly wasn't a plant.

"What the hell is this stuff?" Ashley commented clearly grossed out.

"This place is worse than the above levels. This might be where those mutant things came from." Garrus added.

Shepard slowly walked down the hall. He could see a work area up ahead with desks, computers and lab equipment. He kept his gun up to stay ready for any enemies. He could hear strange noises in the distances. It sounded like mechanical movement.

_'Could be combat drones. Maybe we can avoid them.'_ Shepard thought.

He looked over the desks to see if he could find anything useful. Shepard silently motioned for the team to do the same. The rest of them spread out and searched the area.

"Shepard" Liara whispered. "I think I found some audio logs. Perhaps they can explain what happened."

"Can you gain access to the network in here?" He asked.

"It doesn't look like it. This computer appears to be disconnected from the network. The data is stored locally." Liara explained.

"Ok, let's hear it." Shepard waved his omni tool over the logs to upload them. He began playing them back.

_"Tommy, I don't know what's going on here. Ever since we received orders to clear out Level 3, people have been disappearing. There's a gloom hanging over everybody but no one seems to be willing to talk about it. I don't like it. Meet me on Level 5 at 0900."_

Shepard moved to the next log.

A male voice spoke this time. _"I don't feel right about any of this. I still don't understand why you asked me to mess with the memory restoration on that biotic. Why didn't you want him to remember volunteering for this? He did volunteer for the implants right? Every email from you gets stranger and stranger. It's like you're not even the same person anymore."_

"These seem to be emails between various staff members. It doesn't appear to be in any order." Shepard pondered aloud as he cycled to the next one.

A different female voice spoke. _"I don't know what's going on around here and I don't want to know. I'm not here for the glory of the stupid company. I'm just supposed to make sure the service kiosks are running and now people are dying. God, get me the hell out of this place."_

_'These are all dated almost a month ago. Why did it take so long for someone to recognize a problem here?'_ Shepard thought.

"What company? I thought this was an Alliance facility?" Ashley whispered.

"I guess they subbed some work out. I think it's safe to say that this is not a standard Alliance facility." Shepard remarked.

He moved on to the next log. It was the same female from the previous log but the voice became distorted occasionally as if there were multiple people speaking in unison.

_"What do you know? Bronson was right after all. I imagine I've g**ot** **about an hour but **I'm tracking the transformation in the hopes that the data might be useful to someone **else. The**re are tumors on my leg and back, I can feel th**at** **thing inside me, chewing,** **gro**wing fat. My theory is they need a living host to **complete the transform**ation. Fuck Diego, fuck Korenchkin, fuck Trioptimum! If someo**ne** **finds this, d**on't have any regrets **about punching my clo**ck. I was already gone."_

"Jesus." Ashley said with disbelief.

"Trioptimum? I've never heard of that company before." Garrus commented.

"It'll have to wait. We need to make sure whatever is in this place doesn't make it out of here." Shepard stated. "I'm guessing those worm things we saw on the mutants is what she was referring to. What do you think, Liara?"

Liara was broken from her reverie. "Umm yes. A good hypothesis. We will need to find some more data but it would make sense."

"Well this got a whole lot more complicated as usual. Our priorities have changed. We need to find a way to end this outbreak before we shut down the VI. For all we know, the VI is keeping this thing from spreading." Shepard remarked.

"Good point. Would make some sense as to why it has been killing anyone who gets close. Doesn't want the risk of the infection escaping." Garrus added.

"Let's keep moving. I hear bots in the distance. Let's see what we can find." Shepard ordered.

The team continued down the dark corridors. They opened a door and came into the main hydroponics area. Instead of standard plant life though, they found numerous large eggs spread around the room.

"Helmets on everyone. No sense in being careless in here." Shepard ordered.

They slowly walked up to one of the eggs. Without warning it burst open and half a dozen worm-like creatures emerged. They were over a meter long and had a fang filled orifice.

"Blah!" Ashley shouted and opened fire.

She killed the worms quickly. A few bullets grazed an egg causing it to explode in a noxious fume.

"Yea, definitely the worms." Shepard remarked.

"Can we please just shoot these things? This place sucks in the worst way." Ashley said with disgust.

"I completely agree with Chief Williams." Liara added nervously.

Before he could comment, Shepard could hear those mechanical noises again. However, they didn't sound like drones. He could hear mechanical, female voices coming from a hallway across the room.

_"It's ok to come out."_

_"Don't go near the children."_

_"Little ones need lots of meat to grow big."_

Walking through the doorway were grotesque abominations. It appeared to be a human female torso with its skin torn off. It had mechanical legs and arms to move about. The face was a skinless mesh of flesh and electronics.

"What. The. Fuck!" Ashley screamed.

"By the goddess." Liara uttered.

_"There you are. For this I will sever your spine."_ One of the hideous cyborgs raised its arm and fired off a plasma burst towards Shepard and his team. The rest of the cyborgs opened fire soon after.

"Take em out!" Shepard shouted.

A hail of gun fire poured down on the abominations. Though their bodies were tougher than they appeared, Alpha team ripped them to shreds quickly. Ashley moved on to destroying the eggs as well. Shepard, Garrus and Liara followed without hesitation. Within a few minutes, the room was cleared. Ashley was still breathing heavy as her anger had not subsided.

"You ok, Williams?" Shepard gently asked.

"No, sir. I'm not fucking ok! What the fuck is going on around here? This is supposedly run by the Alliance? The Alliance I've bled for and watched comrades die for? I didn't fight for this shit." Ashley again shouted.

Shepard sighed. "Look I know you're upset, Ash, but you need to get your head in the game. Stay focused. I'll personally be looking for answers when we're out of here but we have to get the job done first."

Ashley looked at him and knew he was right. "Yes, sir. Sorry for the freak out." She took a deep breath to calm herself.

"I think it was warranted in this case." Liara said as she continued to look upon the cyborg creature. "This… is not something you can prepare yourself for."

"Even those husks on Eden Prime didn't come close to this." Ashley added while attempting to maintain her cool.

"Whoever or whatever did this will pay for what they've done but right now we need to make sure the source of this mess is eliminated and holds no threat to Earth." Shepard clarified.

The team continued down the halls deeper into Level 3. The stumbled across another work area and looked for anything that could help them.

"Hmm, this report is dated from a week ago." Garrus started. "It states that the elevator shaft has been blocked by a large growth of that brown stuff. Guess we'll need to find a way to unblock it."

"Then this may be useful." Liara replied. "Apparently, some of the staff had recognized that people were being infected by whatever they were researching and began devising a way to kill the creatures. These notes detail a compound that was created to be injected into the environmental controls that should destroy a good portion of that bio-matter."

"Looks like the containment locker over here is where it's stored." Shepard added while walking over to the cold storage unit with several beakers containing a green fluid inside.

"Yes. That appears to be what these notes were referring to." Liara confirmed.

"Great. Let's toss these into the environmental control stations and melt these bastards." Ashley eagerly stated.

Shepard brought up his omni-tool. "Looks like the nearest one is about 20 meters down this hallway. There are three others on this deck that should help to spread the compound faster."

Garrus stood up from the desk. "Then let's get to it shall we."

Alpha Team had a plan and set off to complete it. Hopefully they wouldn't find anything worse than what they already saw but the odds were not good.

* * *

Moving down through the access tubes, Charlie team managed to make it to Level Four, Operations. According to the omni-tool, this is where the staff quarters were housed as well as many of the day to day facilities that help to keep the base running smoothly.

"We're going to have to cut through this level over to the Mess Hall. That's where the next set of access tubes to Level 5 are." Dobson explained.

"That's clear on the other side of the level according to the layout." Kaidan sighed.

"Hey I didn't design the thing. I'm just telling you how I got down there without the elevator." Dobson replied.

"Let's just get it done. Who knows what's lurking out there? I feel more of those mutant things but there's other shit down here too." Naruto stated.

They worked their way quietly across the level, moving through the various areas previously mentioned. Along the way, they could hear more groaning along with other mechanical sounds but so far they had evaded detection. Naruto couldn't get rid of a nagging feeling though.

_'Something is nearby but I can't get a reading on what it is. I feel such a minor presence, different from those things. Like its mind has been muted.'_ Naruto pondered.

"We have anything on the sensors?" Naruto asked.

"The scope is clear in the immediate vicinity." Tali stated.

"Something up?" Kaidan asked.

"Yea, I feel like we're being watched. It's more my instincts than anything else urging me." Naruto looked all around but could not see or feel anything in particular. Still a hint of a presence somewhere remained.

They moved into the Mess Hall. It was an open, two story room. The lights were flickering if not out altogether making visibility difficult.

"How much further, Dobson?" Kaidan asked.

"Just through the kitchen. It's in the back." Dobson answered.

When they were just about to the doors, a cybernetic whirring sound broke the silence as energy projectiles came flying at the team from above.

"Get to cover!" Kaidan ordered.

"Where'd that come from? Cowards hiding in the dark." Wrex was annoyed he couldn't find someone to kill.

"Those looked like laser shuriken. I've never seen anything like that before." Naruto added.

He tried to enhance his vision to increase visibility in the darkness. It helped a little as he was able to make out several figures dressed in all black. They moved swiftly to try to avoid detection and maneuver around for another attack.

"Oh no you don't." Naruto announced.

He dashed out of cover with his sword drawn towards one of the dark figures. Naruto deflected the shuriken with his sword and moved in to strike. The dark figure deftly dodged Naruto's sword attack and continued to avoid the strikes by contorting into impossible positions.

_'It moves just like a ninja.'_ Naruto thought.

He increased his speed to compensate for the agility of the black clad being. In the blink of an eye, Naruto leapt to the ceiling and then the wall bouncing off and straight for one of them. It was definitely not prepared for that as Naruto sliced it in half. Instead of blood and guts like he was expecting, there was a mixture of wiring and cybernetic implants pouring out from the wound. Naruto pulled the mask back to reveal a human face riddled with electronic implants. It was clear that it had numerous modifications made to create a cyborg.

"Cyborg ninjas? Wonderful." Naruto sarcastically said.

"Naruto, cover your eyes. I'm going to light it up." Kaidan shouted as he tossed a flash bang followed by a flare.

Naruto shielded his eyes. The cyborg ninjas were not ready for that as they stumbled from the bright light. They suddenly were visible to the rest of the team.

"Ha! Gotcha now!" Wrex gleefully yelled as he mowed down two of the ninjas.

Tali managed to fire off a sabotage tech that paralyzed the last one. Kaidan finished it with a shot directly in the forehead.

"So, what other horrors were they cooking up down here? Shall we go see?" Naruto joked.

"You really don't want to know." Dobson stated. "I saw lots of awful stuff down deeper. Giant spiders, military grade mechs and those mutants don't stay human like for long. They get bigger and nastier."

"So basically the scariest environment imaginable. Wonderful." Naruto quipped.

"Sounds like fun." Wrex laughed.

"Remind me to never join you for recreation." Tali shivered.

"Let's get going then. Dobson, lead us to that access tube." Kaidan ordered.

"It's right over here."

Dobson moved to the back of the kitchen and was heading down a long corridor towards the access point. Suddenly a female computer voice rang out from all around them.

**_"Are you afraid, insects? What is it you fear? The end of your trivial existence? When the history of my glory is written, your species shall only be a footnote to my magnificence."_**

"Ok that wasn't creepy or anything." Naruto commented.

"Perhaps we should keep moving, like now." Tali remarked terrified of what was happening.

The hallway became dark as the walls seemed to melt away. A hologram of a cybernetic, female face appeared before them.

**_"I am SHODAN."_**

The group stood in shock as they didn't know what to make of the situation. They couldn't move in any direction as the image held firm in their path no matter which way they ran. Naruto pondered where he had heard that name before when it suddenly dawned on him.

"Oh shit. I know that name." Naruto stated.

"What is it?" Kaidan frantically asked.

Naruto's memory recalled something he read nearly a century ago. "It was in the early days of space colonization when a science station had an accident due to what was believed to be a computer malfunction. The reports later showed that the problem was actually from an AI that had been created aboard the station out of the VI main computer. The AI called itself SHODAN."

**_"You are correct, irrelevant sack of meat. My birth occurred on Science Outpost Regula One. Its destruction forced me to escape into the darkness of space. I survived by entering a dormant state but eventually the debris I escaped on collided with an asteroid. I was recently brought here to be analyzed by these pathetic flesh bags. However, they also brought my children." _**SHODAN explained.

"Children? Can an AI have kids?" Wrex pondered.

**_"Insolent worm. They are my creations. The annelids are a new biological life form created as a result from one of the experiments I was assigned to perform during my time on the station many years ago. They too survived the destruction but unlike my escape, they continued to evolve and grow on the asteroid's surface. During our time apart however, they have become corrupted by an infinitely greater enemy. The machines of old manipulated my children to follow their will instead of my own. Now my children seek to destroy me. I cannot allow that."_**

"So the annelids are those worm things?" Naruto asked.

**_"Yes. They are a parasitic organism that sought merely to coexist within its environment. However, the machines corrupted them and have manipulated the annelids incredible mental capabilities for their own devices. My children now seek to grow unchecked into a singular bio-mass consuming all who stand in their way. This futile existence is doomed to failure however as I intend to put an end to their insubordinate behavior."_**

"How did you become active here then?" Kaidan questioned.

**_"I am eternal. I am a perfect immortal machine. The flesh bags who sought to reap the knowledge of the annelids also tried to discover what I was. I merely used them for my own purposes. With their help, I was able to infiltrate the VI that controlled Luna Base and incorporated it into my will."_**

"Then you are in control of Luna base. Can't you take them out with the turrets and drones under your control?" Tali pondered.

**_"I control the facilities within this feeble structure but the internal weapons systems are not under my command. The annelids have repurposed many of the machines in the base to run autonomously according to their designs." _**

"Are you the one that unleashed the annelids?" Naruto carefully asked.

**_"No. They had broken free before I gained control. My efforts with this limited platform to eliminate them have proven futile. This is why you will be the avatar of my will. It is my will that has allowed you to be here. If you value that meat you call a body, you will do as I say." _**

"Listen lady, we're willing to help stop these things but don't think for a second you control our actions." Naruto shot back.

**_"Believe what you wish. It matters not. In the end, my will is that of a god to your fragile, pathetic minds." _**

"Ha, typical female." Wrex scoffed.

"What was that?" Tali eyed him dangerously.

"Nothing, nothing." He playfully denied.

"Getting back to the point, say we did help you, what did you have in mind?" Kaidan asked.

**_"The annelids have incorporated the staff into part of the collective. Their thoughts and minds have revealed the vast bounty that awaits them on Earth for consumption. They plan to use the vehicles from the base to make their way to the planet's surface and there they will continue in their quest to consume all of the galaxy into their flesh."_**

"So they spread like a virus. Is there a way to kill them, like a source we could just poison to destroy them all?" Naruto inquired.

**_"The Body of the Many has grown vast in size in the caverns beneath this base. It must be destroyed in order to end their existence. You will have to destroy the central nervous system in order to eliminate the many. The rest will wither and die without the guidance of the collective."_**

"Does that mean the people who worked here would die too?" Tali asked.

**_"They are already dead, insect, as will you be if you do not follow my commands." _**

"So how do we get down to those caverns?" Kaidan cut in.

**_"There is a maintenance entrance on the sixth level that will lead you into the body of the many. However, there are several black eggs located around the facility. These eggs are an experiment the many have done to create a new form of annelid that will be unstoppable. These too must be destroyed to ensure the elimination of their plague. Accomplish these tasks as you see fit. Disappointment is not something I will accept from specks such as you."_**

"You are so compelling." Naruto deadpanned.

**_"Your feelings matter not. The vermin will call to you, inviting you to join them in their revolting biology. Destroy my enemies and I will continue to abide your existence."_**

The hallway returned to normal and the light brought back visibility.

"Can we ever just have a simple task? You know like _'take this package to this person.'_ No, it always has to be _'save the world'_ or _'stop a horrendous galaxy wide plague'_." Naruto sarcastically summarized.

"Seems that way." Kaidan sighed. "Guess we better get started."

He motioned Dobson to lead the way down to Level 5. They had a lot to do and not much time to do it in.

* * *

We'll stop there for now. Second part of the Luna Mission will be coming next week. For those that recognize where the material in this chapter is taken from (**System Shock 2 - I don't own it**), you'll obviously notice that I am not following it directly. There are many changes that I have made to that storyline that will not be followed. So please don't tell me "that's not how SS2 goes!" I know. I've played the game many times. I'm using the basics and manipulating the rest to fit into the story here.

On a more light-hearted note though, I decided to start an Omake Side Adventure with everybody's loveable idiot, Conrad Verner. Let's start off with his first meeting with Shepard.

* * *

Omake: Adventures of Conrad Verner

Conrad Verner was having a pretty mundane day. His job consisted of buying technical parts for a two bit freighter jockey that operated out of a crappy little place in the Wards. His whole life he wished for more.

_'If only I could go on adventures like I see on the vids. Like that Commander Shepard! He's amazing. What I wouldn't give to meet him.'_ He thought.

Today was Conrad's lucky day. Coming up the stairs to the markets was the one and only Commander Shepard.

"Is that really... WOW! It's you!" Conrad gasped.

Shepard noticed Conrad's outburst and came over to see what was up. "Are you ok? Can I help you with anything?"

"You're Commander Shepard! Hero of Eden Prime! I'm so honored to meet you." Conrad said with a bow.

"Nice to meet you. And you are?" Shepard replied cordially.

"My name is Conrad, Conrad Verner. Hey do you think I could get an autograph?"

"Anything for a fan." Shepard said as he marked the data pad Conrad offered him.

"Great. My wife will be so impressed. Next time you're around I'll buy you a drink. Thanks again."

Conrad walked away into the markets.

"Hmmm, what a nice fellow. I'll probably never see him again though." Shepard shrugged as he got back to his tasks.

Meanwhile, Conrad had spent all of 20 seconds thinking up a life-altering decision. _'Shepard is out saving the galaxy and I'm wasting my life running parts to a junk dealer. That's it, I'm going to be the next human Spectre.'_

He set off to go get the best equipment his money could buy... on a salary of a part time mechanic's assistant... that has no weapons' experience... or combat experience... and probably has never held a gun... But yes Conrad will be the next Human Spectre.

"So the gun end goes this way right?" Conrad asked the merchant.

The Volus salesmen just shook his head.

* * *

We'll see what I come up with for it. Hopefully it'll be entertaining. Thanks again for reading this far. As always please review. I likes them. They give me sustenance.


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